


Protect and Care

by LilacChocolate



Category: Free!
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Bottom Nanase Haruka, Daddy Kink, Dirty Talk, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, M/M, Nipple Play, Riding, Roleplay, Sexual Roleplay, Smut, Swearing, Top Tachibana Makoto, Violence, attempted drowning, but just in case, but not actual dd/lg, chill your beans, cross-dressing, dd/lg undertones, it's fairly low key, like not enough to have the graphic depictions of violence tag, like there's no self harm, thigh riding, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:17:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 32,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7617796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacChocolate/pseuds/LilacChocolate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a joint practice at Samezuka, Makoto finds Haru in the showers, unconscious and bleeding. But who did it to him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think that this story will be very long. I just had an idea for the first chapter and I was just like, 'hey, let's roll with that', but idk really  
> Lilac X

‘Where’s Haru-chan?’ Nagisa asked, bouncing on his feet.

‘He’ll be out in a minute, Nagisa-kun.’

I smiled at the two bickering boys but glanced back at the aquatic centre doors. Haru should have been out ages ago. What was he doing in there? Maybe he had got back in the pool. That wasn’t unlikely.

‘But what if there’s something wrong with him?’

‘What do you mean?’ Rei asked, brow furrowed.

‘He’s been acting strangely recently. Hasn’t he, Mako-chan?’

I nodded, agreeing with Nagisa. ‘He has. But he’s probably just worried about his future. He’s got a lot of things to think over, and seeing Rin today, who knows exactly where he’s going and what he’s doing, probably just set him on edge. Maybe having a joint practice at Samezuka wasn’t a good idea.’ It was more than that, though. I hadn’t told Nagisa, Rei or Gou, not wanting to worry them. Haru hadn’t been eating breakfast before school and he only ate lunch if I brought a bento for him. He wouldn’t sit in the bath anymore, just be sat in his school uniform, ready for me to arrive in the morning. All of his clothes were hanging off him, like he hadn’t been eating, and the only thing that would fit him was his jammers, but only because of their tight material. If he carried on like this, they would get loose soon, too. ‘Actually, I’m going to check on him.’

Nagisa cheered, slinging an arm over Rei’s shoulder. ‘I’m sure Haru-chan thinks you’re the best boyfriend in the world!’

‘I’m not his boyfriend,’ I told Nagisa, blushing as I went back into the aquatic centre. It was no secret to the bubbly blond that I had feelings for Haru, but I never did anything about them. Haru wouldn’t reciprocate. He only loved water and mackerel. Or nothing, if his behaviour at the minute was anything to go by.

I went down to the pool, finding there was no one swimming or milling around on the pool deck. Okay, so Haru had got out. He was probably just getting changed. I went into the changing rooms and saw Nitori leant against a stack of lockers, Rin in front of him, one hand next to Nitori’s head as they whispered to each other, both smiling. I cleared my throat and they leapt apart, Nitori blushing.

‘What is it, Makoto?’

‘Sorry to interrupt… that, but have you seen Haru?’

‘Oh, no. I thought Ai and I were the only ones left. But I think the showers are still running. Check in there?’

I nodded, thanking him, and made my way to the other end of the room where the showers were. As I got closer, I heard the sound of running water and smiled to myself. Of course, Haru was still having a shower. ‘Haru-chan-’

As I rounded the corner, I stopped, looking at Haru. He was led on the floor, unconscious and still in his jammers, blood mingling with the water and going down the drain. I ran to him, slipping on the tiles next to him and turned my best friend over, heart in my throat. He was still breathing, but he had a cut on his chest as well as his cheek, blood pouring out of them.

‘Rin! Nitori!’ I shouted, the two Samezuka swimmers coming into the showers.

‘Haru!’ Rin shouted, getting his phone out of his pocket. ‘Ai, ring for an ambulance.’

‘Yes, senpai!’

‘Rin, help me lift Haru out of the shower!’

The red-head nodded and we carried him out into the changing rooms and I started to dry him off, watching as the last of his blood got carried away by the water.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto takes Haru back to his house.

When the ambulance arrived, Haru was still unconscious, but the bleeding had stopped. Rin, Nitori, Rei and Nagisa were stood outside the aquatic centre, watching as I sat in the back of the van with Haru and the paramedic.

‘He seems like he’ll be okay. The cuts shouldn’t scar, as long as he keeps them clean and doesn’t pick the scabs off. Is he a big self-harmer?’

‘What? No, Haru doesn’t do that. Someone did this to him.’

The paramedic nodded and started to write things down on her clipboard. ‘You have proof of that?’

‘Well, no, but I see his body all the time. I would know if he self-harmed.’

‘You see his naked body all the time?’

I blushed and looked away from the paramedic. I had meant to phrase that in a different way. Now it sounded like I was some big pervert. ‘Well, yes. I’m his boyfriend.’ I said, not making eye contact so she wouldn’t be able to tell that I was lying.

The paramedic nodded, scribbling down so more information. ‘Well, until someone can indefinitely prove that these wounds were inflicted by someone else, it’ll be marked down in his medical history as self-harm. He shouldn’t swim for a week, as the chlorine could infect the wounds, but normal water is fine. If this happens again, your boyfriend will be referred to mental health services. Here,’ she said, handing me a slip of paper with a phone number on it, ‘if he needs to talk to someone, have him ring this number. The people on the line will help him if he feels the need to hurt himself again.’

‘Ermmm… thanks.’

‘Go and tell your friends what’s happened, then you can direct me to your boyfriend’s house.’

‘Okay.’ I reluctantly got out of the ambulance and went over to where the others were waiting.

‘Is he going to be okay, Mako-chan?’

‘I think so, but the paramedic is convinced he’s self-harming. There wasn’t even anything in the shower that he could have hurt himself with. I even had to tell her that I was his boyfriend to make her believe that he’s never done this before.’

Nagisa grinned. ‘You told her that you’ve seen him naked, didn’t you?’

Rin snickered and Nitori tutted. ‘This isn’t a laughing matter, Rin-senpai.’

‘Right, sorry, Ai. I’m sure Haru will be fine, Makoto.’

‘I know he will, but I want to find the person who did this to him.’

Rei sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. ‘Makoto-senpai, are you one hundred percent sure that Haruka-senpai doesn’t self-harm?’

Nagisa replied before I could even open my mouth. ‘Of course, he’s sure. He stares at Haru’s body every single time we shower after practice. He would probably know if Haru was self-harming before Haru even did.’

‘Nagisa-kun, how does that even make sense?’ The two boyfriends started to bicker and Makoto turned to Rin and Nitori.

‘Nanase-senpai will be okay, Tachibana-senpai.’

‘Yeah, thanks, Nitori.’

Rin slung an arm around Nitori’s shoulder. ‘I’m guessing that if Haru really didn’t do this to himself, then it was a Samezuka swimmer. I’ll keep an eye out for you.’

‘Thanks, Rin. I’ll text you to let you know how he’s doing.’

‘Sounds good. See you later.’

I got into the back of the ambulance and the paramedic closed the doors behind me then went around to the driver’s side. I gave her the address and she set off, not once speaking to me.  I looked at Haru, laid out on the bed in the back of the ambulance. He was still wearing his jammers, but I had put my blazer on him, so he wouldn’t get cold. I took one of his hands in mine and stroked my thumb over his soft skin. Why couldn’t I have been there to protect him? I loved Haru so much, but I had let someone harm him. I wouldn’t let it happen again. It couldn’t happen again. Even if I had to move in with him for a few weeks, I would. He needed to start eating properly again and acting like himself. Ever since his parents had moved away and his grandma had died, I’d been worried about Haru. He had become even more withdraw than usual, but the way he was acting now was nothing like himself.

The ambulance stopped at the bottom of the stone steps and the paramedic glanced at me in the rearview mirror. ‘Do you want me to carry him up the steps to his house?’

‘No, it’s alright, I can manage.’ I put Haru’s bag on, then my own, and scooped Haru up in my arms. I had carried him before, a few months ago, when he had sprained his ankle after running across the pool deck. He hadn’t been heavy, but now he felt like a feather and I could feel Haru’s bones beneath my fingers. This wasn’t good.

I carried him up the stone steps with ease, but instead of going to his house, I went into mine. As soon as my shoes were off, the twins ran into the genkan, but the stopped when they saw Haru.

‘Is he sleeping?’ Ran whispered.

I nodded. ‘Can you get mum to come up to my room?’

The twins ran off again and I went into the house, carrying Haru up the stairs. I opened the door whilst trying not to jostle Haru, then laid him down on the bed. I put down the bags and sat next to him, taking his hand again, like I’d done in the ambulance.

‘Ran said-’ My mum walked into my room, a smile in her voice, but she stopped when she saw Haru and the cuts on his body. ‘Oh, Makoto. What happened?’

‘I don’t know.’

She sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. ‘Has he woken up yet?’

‘No, he’s still unconscious. But there’s something wrong with him, mum. Ever since our third year started, he’s become more withdrawn and he’s hardly eating anything and most of his clothes don’t fit him anymore.’

‘Do you think he has depression?’

I shrugged. ‘Maybe. I think he’s being bullied, though. By someone at Samezuka. He didn’t do this to himself, I know he didn’t. He’s not well, mum. Can he stay here for a while? Or, I’ll live with him for a few weeks. He needs someone to look after him right now.’

My mum nodded and stood up. ‘He can stay here. That way I can cook for him since you’re not too great at it. Get changed and I’ll wash both of your school uniforms ready for tomorrow, and I’ll explain to the twins what’s going on.’

‘Thanks, mum.’

She left the room and once I had gotten changed, I took my school uniform and Haru’s downstairs, handing the clothes over to my mum. She put them in the washer and turned back to me, smiling, but I was frowning with tears in my eyes.

‘He’s going to be okay, Makoto.’

I nodded and the twins ran into the room, each grabbing onto one of my legs. ‘Mum said Haru-chan will be living here!’

‘Yeah, he’s not very well right now, so we need to look after him.’

‘So, he’ll have dinner with us every day?’

‘Yep. And breakfast. And on the weekends, even lunch.’

The twins started jumping up and down, getting really excited. ‘We’re gonna play so many games with him!’

‘Maybe not right now, Ran. Haru really isn’t very well. But I’ll let you know when he’s up to it, okay?’

The twins nodded and scuttled out of the room.

‘So, do I need to go out and get some mackerel for Haru to eat?’

I shook my head. ‘He hasn’t been eating a lot lately. It’ll be too oily for him. Just something simple, like rice with some meat and vegetables, but don’t make him too much. His stomach will have shrunk.’

My mum nodded. ‘Alright. Tea will be ready for when dad gets home. If you want to eat upstairs with Haru, that’s fine.’

‘Thanks, mum.’ I went back to my room and saw that the cut on Haru’s chest had reopened. I turned around, planning to go to the bathroom to get some water and a washcloth, but something grabbed my hand.

I turned back to the bed and saw Haru, blue eyes barely open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's read this so far and commented! I know you're keen to know what's going on, but I'm going on holiday for a week, so there won't be a chapter until at least next Saturday, but I'm going to try and write the next chapter on my phone so I can hopefully upload it when I get home :)  
> Lilac X
> 
> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto tries to get Haru to tell him who hurt him.

‘Haru…’

He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a croaking sound. I grabbed a glass of water from my kotatsu and helped Haru to sip it without choking on it. He cleared his throat and managed to sit up, wincing as his chest bled more. I got a handful of tissues and pressed them to the wound and looked up at Haru. His usually beautiful blue eyes were bloodshot and droopy from lack of sleep and his lips and skin were dry.

‘What happened in the showers, Haru?’

He just stared at me, eyes unblinking for a moment, then looked away.

‘Did you do this to yourself?’

He shook his head and I breathed a sigh of relief. I had been right. Haru wasn’t self-harming.

‘Someone did this to you?’

He nodded.

‘Who?’

Haru shook his head.

‘Haru, you need to tell me who did this.’

He shook his head again, his tears hitting my sheets. He looked up at me, tears rolling down his cheeks, then he hugged me, clutching to my shoulders. I cradled him in my arms, the tissues pressed in between us and I shushed him, trying to calm his breathing down. In all the time I had known him, Haru had cried once: when his grandma died. And in all the time I had known him, we’d only hugged twice. Once at Mrs Nanase’s funeral, and at regionals last year. I had wanted to hug him again, but not like this. Not when someone had hurt him and Haru couldn’t even talk about it.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay, Haru. No one can hurt you here. I promise I’ll look after you.’

He nodded, still sobbing on my shoulder. I held him until he stopped, but even then he stayed in my arms, his nose pressed against my neck, breathing in and out, taking in my scent.

‘You like how I smell?’

‘Comforting. Makoto smells like home.’

I blushed and felt my heart beat speed up. Of course, he would have to say that. But I wouldn’t take advantage of this situation. Haru needed me as a friend right now, not as a love interest. But, at least he hadn’t turned completely mute. ‘I’ll lend you some of my clothes once I sort out your chest, okay?’

Haru nodded and pulled away from me, tissues falling into his lap. The bleeding had stopped once again, but I grabbed a plaster from my desk and applied it to the highest point of the chest wound since that was where the bleeding had come from. I got up from the bed and took a pair of sweatpants as well as some boxers and my yellow and orange t-shirt out of my wardrobe. I put them on the bed and turned around, letting Haru change.

He came over to me when he was done and he wrapped my arms around him, burying his head in my chest. ‘Warm.’

I nodded, placing a light kiss on the top of his head. He snuggled further into my chest, seemingly not bothered by my kiss. 

'I told the paramedic that saw you that it wasn't self-harm. If you tell the police-'

'No. I can't, Makoto. He'll kill me.' Haru started to cry again and I hugged him tighter. 

'I won't let him hurt you. Okay, Haru? I've talked to my mum and she says you can stay with us, that way I can look after you. I won't let you out of my sight, not here, not at school, and not at Samezuka. Whoever did this to you won't be able to get near you again, okay?'

Haru nodded and my mum came into my room, holding a tray with food, drinks, and chopsticks on. The blue-eyed boy in my arms looked up, eyes still glistening with unshed tears. 

'I brought up your dinner since I guessed you wouldn’t be coming down.' She placed the tray down on the kotatsu and picked up Haru's jammers from the floor and took mine out of my rucksack. 'I'll put these to soak. Your uniforms have finished washing, so they'll be ready for the morning.' Then she left the room, Haru still in my arms. 

'Come on. Let's eat.' I led him over to the kotatsu and sat down, Haru beside me. He picked up the chopsticks and went for the rice first, but his hands shook, weak from lack of food and sleep. The rice and chopsticks fell onto the plate and Haru lowered his head, hair covering his eyes. 

'You haven't been eating, have you?'

He shook his head and I lifted him up to sit in my lap. I picked up my chopsticks and started to feed my best friend the food on his plate, handing him some water every now and then to help it go down. 

'When was the last time you ate, Haru?'

'I ate a Kit Kat yesterday.'

'Anything else?'

He shook his head and I carried on feeding him, one hand on his back that rubbed up and down it, attempting to soothe him. He stayed sat in my lap as I ate. I tried to offer him more, but he refused, resting his head on my shoulder until I finished eating. As I swallowed my final mouthful, Haru's eyes started to droop close. 

'Do you want to go to bed?'

He nodded and I lifted him out of my lap. 'I'll go and get the futon for you.'

Haru whined and grabbed my hand, pulling me down. 'No. Sleep with Makoto.'

'Haru, we're too big to sleep together in the bed.'

His blue eyes went watery and he climbed back into my lap, clinging to my shoulders. 'But he's going to hurt me.' He whispered, starting to hyperventilate. 

My heart dropped at how he sounded and how he was acting. Even when his grandma died and his parents left, he hadn't been like this. I wrapped my arms around him, trying to soothe him again. 'Whoever he is, he can't hurt you here. I'll stop him.'

Haru sobbed into my chest then sat up, face tear-streaked. 'You can't save everyone, Makoto.'

'But I can save you. And I will.' I picked up Haru and carried him to the bed, laying him under the covers. He shuffled over to the wall and I climbed in beside him, pulling the duvet over us. Straight away, Haru wiggled up next to me and placed his ear against my chest, falling asleep to the sound of my heartbeat. I tried to fall asleep, too, but I just couldn't. I had wanted to hold Haru like this for so long. But not like this. Not ever like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru receives a text from his bully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there have been a lot of comments with people speculating who it is, which is great! Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I feel if I reply to them then I'll let something slip about who the culprit is, but I feel really rude not replying to people as well. So, if your comment has any speculation in it as to who Haru's bully is, I'll just ignore it and reply to the rest of the comment, if that makes sense haha .P  
> Lilac X

Somehow, I managed to fall asleep, but I was woken up in the middle of the night by my phone going off with the sound of a text message. Groaning, I tried to sit up, wanting to go and switch it off, but Haru was clinging to my shoulders, tear stains on his cheeks. Despite that, he still looked as beautiful in his sleep as he always did. I shook my head. I wasn’t going to take advantage of him. I couldn’t, not when he was like this.

Slowly, I managed to pry Haru’s hands from my shoulders and I got out of the bed, going over to where I had left my school bag. I took my phone out, seeing that there was a message from Nagisa, Rei, and Rin, each of them asking about Haru, but my mobile had been on silent. Haru’s phone? I opened up his bag and found the blue mobile hidden under his swimming goggles, a message from an unknown sender lighting up the screen. I glanced at Haru, who was still sleeping, then back at his phone. Should I read it? I knew it was an invasion of privacy, but surely Haru wouldn’t mind if it was me. And it might be the person who hurt who had texted him.

I opened up the text, almost dropping the phone when I read the message.

**Have you got the fucking hint now? How many times do I have to tell you? If you don’t quit swimming and this shit about being free and being one with the water and the rest of that crap, I’ll hurt you even more. To be honest, I didn’t think you’d hold out this long. Over the last three months, I’ve beaten you up ten times, and I even brought a knife to practice today, but still, STILL, you persist. Turn up to practice at Samezuka again and I will make you pay. You’re lucky that you don’t have a family, or they’d be next on my list. But wait, you do have a family. The Tachibanas. I know you care for all of them. The parents, the twins, that clumsy backstroke swimmer who makes you blush whenever he helps you out of the pool. Dare to swim at Samezuka again, or in a national competition, and your boyfriend’s little brother will be helping to teach you a lesson.**

I screwed my eyes shut for a moment then reread the text. Someone from Samezuka wanted Haru to stop swimming so badly that he would hurt Ren just to try and get through to him. I looked up at Haru, who was still sleeping soundly. I didn’t like the thought of any of my family members getting hurt, but now knowing that Haru had endured this all by himself for three months… it wasn’t worth thinking about it. I took a picture of the text with my phone then deleted it from Haru’s text history. If I could protect Haru, then I could protect Ren and Ran and my parents. It was two months until prefecturals and I wouldn’t suggest another joint practice until Haru’s abuser had been found.

Out of curiosity, I typed the sender’s number into my phone, to see if it recognised it. It came up blank but I saved it into my contacts anyway. The only people from Samezuka I had on my phone were Rin and Nitori, and Captain Mikoshiba, but I supposed he didn’t count anymore since he had graduated last year. So, it wasn’t Rin or Nitori. Unless one of them had bought a separate phone just to bully Haru, which I doubted.

‘Makoto?!’

I put the phones away and stood up, seeing Haru frantically turning in the bed, trying to feel where my body was. I ran to the bed and gathered him in my arms, trying to calm him back down. ‘It’s alright. I just needed the toilet. I’m right here. I’m sorry for leaving you.’

He calmed down straight away and I led back down on the bed, Haru now lying on my chest. ‘I’m sorry, just try and get back to sleep, okay? No one can hurt you, not whilst I’m here.’

He nodded and after a few moments his breathing deepened, letting me know that he had fallen asleep. I could still see his face even though it was dark, and it made me think about what was in that text I had found. Haru blushed when I helped him out of the pool? I had never noticed before. I shook my head and held Haru even tighter. As much as I loved and wanted Haru, there was no way I was using this situation to take advantage of him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and his mum talk about Haru.

In the morning, I woke up before Haru. Whenever we’d had sleepovers in the past, it always been the other way around. I would get up late and Haru would be up early, but after the events of yesterday, he needed sleep more than I did. I let him sleep for half an hour more before I woke him up and he squeaked, turning his head into my chest. I smiled, wrapping one of my arms around him. He could be so cute sometimes.

‘Come on, Haru. We need to get up. We have to go to school.’

He shook his head and grabbed my t-shirt, his small hands curled into fists. ‘I want to stay with you. He might hurt me again.’

‘He won’t. Whoever did this to you is from Samezuka. He won’t be at school. And if he does turn up, I’ll be with you the entire day, okay? We have all of our classes together and we eat lunch together and spend our breaks together. I won’t leave your side, okay?’

Haru nodded and sat up, black hair all stuck up in odd angles and face flushed pink from sleep. ‘Let’s have some breakfast.’

I got out of the bed and Haru did the same, following me downstairs and into the kitchen.

‘Morning, boys!’ My mum chimed from behind the counter, Ren and Ran sat at the table, drooping over the bowls of miso soup and rice. Haru and I sat down opposite the twins, my mum bringing over rice and soup for me and Haru, Haru’s portion noticeably bigger. ‘I’ll get on with making your lunches. Would you like a bit of mackerel in yours, Haru?’

Haru shrugged, staring down at his soup. I glanced at my mum and saw that she was frowning, brow furrowed and tears in her eyes.

‘Come on, Haru, eat up. You won’t be able to concentrate in class without your breakfast.’

Haru’s hands shook as up picked up his chopsticks, trying to eat this rice, but when the food was halfway to his mouth, he dropped them, rice spilling on the table.

‘Haru-chan?’ Ran asked, eyes wide in concern. ‘You put it in your mouth, not on the table.’

‘He knows, Ran, he’s just having a little trouble at the moment.’ I smiled at my sister and started feeding Haru his food, my best friend blushing as the twins and my mum watched. When he had eaten everything, I squeezed Haru’s hand. ‘Why don’t you go for a shower?’

Haru hesitated, but nodded, going into the bathroom. As soon as the door was closed, my mum let out a shaky breath and sat down in Haru’s chair. ‘This is not good. Has he ever been like this before, Makoto?’

I shook my head. ‘Never. I should have noticed this, though. For weeks, he hasn’t been eating properly, and his school uniform is hanging off him. I was going to suggest dropping by his house after school to get some of his clothes, but I don’t know if there’ll be much point.’

‘Onii-chan?’ Ren asked, holding Ran’s hand. ‘What wrong with Haru-chan? Why does he have a scratch on his face?’

‘It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Haru’s just feeling a little sad right now.’

‘But why?’

‘I’m not really sure.’

Mum stood up, collecting up the pots. ‘Go and get ready for school, you two. You don’t need to worry about Haru. Your big brother is going to look after him.’

‘Like a husband looks after his wife?’ Ran asked, smiling.

Mum laughed, ushering the twins towards the stairs. ‘Yes, like a husband. Now, go and get dressed or you’ll be late.’ She came back to the table and sat down again, watching me as I ate my breakfast.

‘Makoto?’

‘Mm?’

‘Do you have feelings for Haru?’

I looked up at my mum, a spoon full of soup hovering next to my mouth. ‘Yes. But that isn’t the reason why I’m doing this. I’m doing it because he needs someone to be there for him. I love him, I have done for a while now, but I won’t tell him until he’s better.’

Mum nodded, taking my dishes to the sink. ‘I know you think that might be for the best, but when he’s feeling a little better, you should tell him. Haru’s never felt loved before since his parents aren’t around. I think a relationship with you might be good for him.’

I nodded, sitting back in my chair. ‘But what if he doesn’t like me back? I don’t want to lose him as a best friend.’

‘I know, but I think Haru feels something for you, too. He wouldn’t let himself be cuddled in bed or be spoon-fed if he didn’t.’

I nodded, hoping she was right. ‘Okay. I’m going to go and get dressed.’ I went upstairs, finding my uniform hung on the front of my bedroom door along with Haru’s. I took them off the door frame and went into my room, starting to get dressed, and Haru entered the room soon after, face flushed from the shower and still wearing the clothes I had lent him last night.

‘Feel any better?’

Haru shrugged and he got dressed, shaking the excess water out of his hair. ‘Where did your mum put my jammers?’

‘I’m not sure. You won’t be needing them, though. The paramedic said you should stay away from chlorine for a week in case it infects your cuts.’

Haru nodded and slung his bag over his shoulder. ‘I can’t swim anyway.’

‘Haru!’

He looked up at me, tears in his eyes. ‘I can’t do anything. I’m useless. I can’t swim well, I can’t run fast, I’m not even lovable. No one wants me.’

‘Haru… did he… the man who hurt you… did he tell you this?’

Haru nodded and I grabbed him, pulling him into my arms. ‘Whoever he is, whoever that nasty piece of work is, is wrong. No, you may not be a fast runner, but you’re the best swimmer I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen anyone look as natural as you are in the water before. And you are lovable. I love you.’ I held him tighter, my heart pounding. I had just told him my feelings. I wasn’t supposed to do that.

Haru just nodded, stepping out of my embrace. ‘Whatever. Let’s go to school.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru can't hold it together at school.

As we walked to school, I stayed silent. I had just told Haru, a mere ten minutes ago, that I loved him. And he responded to it in the same way he would do when the supermarket was out of mackerel. I glanced at him and saw that he had his head down, hair hiding his eyes from me. What had his bully done to him to make him not believe that I loved him? I bit my lip. Maybe I had to show him just how much I loved him for him to actually believe me.

‘Makoto.’

I looked at Haru and saw that we had arrived at school. ‘Ah, sorry, Haru-chan! I was thinking about something.’

He just nodded and we walked into school together, everyone staring at Haru as we walked down the corridor to our classroom. The scratch on his cheek wasn’t massive, but it wasn’t there yesterday and plenty of people were noticing. We made it to our classroom without anyone approaching us to find out more, but no sooner had we sat down than Nagisa, Rei, and Gou had run into the classroom.

‘Haru-chan!’ Nagisa shouted, leaning over the blue-eyed boy’s desk. ‘Are you okay?! Did you tell Mako-chan who hurt you?’

Haru just looked away from him, staring at the sea outside the window.

‘Nagisa-kun! You shouldn’t ask him things like that!’

The blond just giggled. ‘Ne, Haru-chan, did you know that Mako-chan told the paramedic that he was your boyfriend?’

‘Nagisa-kun!’

Even though I was blushing, I ignored Nagisa and Rei’s conversation with Haru and I motioned Gou to come over to my desk. ‘What is it, Makoto-senpai?’

‘At lunch, could you take Haru somewhere and discuss swimming regimens with him? I need to talk to Nagisa and Rei in private about something, but I don’t want him to be alone.’

‘Of course, Makoto-senpai.’

Our conversation was interrupted by Miss Miho, who ran over to mine and Haru’s desks. ‘Nanase-kun! I heard about what happened last night from Samezuka’s headmaster. Here,’ she reached into her bag, bringing out a few leaflets on self-harm and depression. ‘I picked these up for you from the nurse.’

‘Ah, Miss Miho,’ I said, standing up, ‘it wasn’t self-harm. Someone attacked him.’

Our homeroom teacher gasped and took back the leaflets. ‘Have you told the authorities, Nanase-kun?’

I turned to the window, seeing that tears were shining in Haru’s eyes. I had to get him out of the classroom. ‘I think Haru needs some fresh air. Come on, Haru-chan.’ I grabbed his hand and led him out of the classroom, pulling him up several sets of stairs until we were on the roof. As soon as the door shut behind us, I wrapped my arms around Haru and he started to cry.

‘Shhhh... It’s okay. You don’t have to tell anyone. I’ll protect you.’

Haru didn’t even nod this time. Did he not think I could protect him? Or worse: that he wasn’t worth protecting?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this chapter was so short, but I didn't want to add anything else to it, so I'm going to update this story next before my other ones :)
> 
> Notes:
> 
> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto has a plan to show Haru just how much he loves him.

By the time Haru had stopped crying, we had missed all of homeroom and half of maths. We went back to our classroom, and Kanzaki-san looked just about ready to shout out at us, but once he saw Haru’s tear-stained face and the cut on his cheek, he didn’t say anything; just stared at us for a few seconds then carried on teaching.

For the rest of the morning, I managed to concentrate on my work, but my eyes kept on straying across to Haru’s desk. He had his sketchpad out, but I only managed to work out what he was drawing as the bell went for lunch. He had drawn his favourite Pokémon, Vaporeon, bleeding on the tiled floor of Samezuka’s showers. I gripped my pen until my knuckles turned white, trying not to say anything. Part of me wanted to shout at Haru, to make him tell me who had hurt him so, but I knew I couldn’t. I couldn’t ever hurt Haru. I wasn’t capable of it. But hurting the man who had done this to him… I could do that. I would do that as soon as I found out who it was.

‘Makoto.’

I looked up at Haru and let go of my pen, smiling at him. ‘Sorry. Come on, let’s go to the roof for lunch.’ As I stood up and grabbed my bag, I noticed that we were the only ones left in the classroom. How long had I been staring at Haru’s drawing for? I went to step out from behind my desk, but Haru grabbed the sleeve of my blazer. I turned around and saw that he had his head down, cheeks a little pink. ‘Do you want to hold my hand?’

He nodded and let go of my sleeve, slipping his hand down to intertwine his fingers with mine. We made our way up to the roof for lunch, other students staring at our joined hands as we walked together. Haru and I hadn’t held hands in years, and even when we did hold hands, we had never done it at school.

Nagisa, Rei, and Gou were sat waiting on the roof for us, and they all jumped up when they saw us. ‘Haru-chan! Are you okay now? Did Mako-chan take care of you?’

Haru nodded and we all sat down. I got the two bentos out of my bag and handed the one wrapped in blue cloth to my best friend. ‘I’m not sure if my mum put mackerel in it.’

‘Don’t care.’

Nagisa gasped and Gou stood up. ‘Haruka-senpai, may I talk to you for a minute? I want to discuss some new swimming regimen ideas with you.’

Haru nodded and the two walked over to the other end of the roof. Once I was sure that Haru was out of earshot, I turned to Nagisa and Rei. ‘Guys, I need to tell Haru about my feelings for him.’

Nagisa cheered and Rei clapped a hand over his boyfriend’s mouth. ‘Why now, Makoto-senpai?’

I explained what happened to them this morning, about how Haru didn’t believe me when I told him. ‘I need to show him that I love him, but not as a friend, as a… you know… love interest.’

Rei hummed. ‘Well, the best way to show Haruka-senpai would be through something he loves, but he doesn’t seem to want mackerel right now. And I don’t think he can go swimming because of his cuts either… hmmm…’

‘What about sweets?’ Nagisa asked through mouthfuls of his Iwatobi cream bread.

‘No offence, but I don’t see how that would show him.’

‘Why don’t you ask Rin-chan? He’s very romantic!’

I took my phone out of my blazer and rang the redhead, putting it on loudspeaker so we could all hear.

‘Yo, Makoto. What’s up? Is Haru alright?’

‘Ermmm… I don’t know.’ I told him what happened this morning and how I wanted to show Haru that I loved him. ‘Any ideas?’

‘Haru’s kind of a tough one. Just buy him some mackerel. Look, I got to go. Talk soon.’

‘Alright. Bye, Rin.’ I hung up just as Haru and Gou came back over. The five of us ate lunch together, the three first years providing the entertainment, but my eyes kept on straying over to Haru. His hands didn’t shake as much as he ate with the chopsticks, but my mum had also packed a spoon for him, so after a couple of mouthfuls of rice, he put down the chopsticks and picked up his spoon, managing to eat almost everything my mum had made for him.

As lunch drew to an end, I packed the bento boxes away into my rucksack and we all stood up.

‘I’ll see you at swim practice,’ Gou said, hands on her hips.

‘Actually, Kou, Haru and I won’t be there. He can’t swim in case the chlorine infects his cuts.’

‘But prefecturals are in two months!’

‘We have plenty of time to prepare, Kou. This is only for a week,’ I told her, thinking about the text from Haru’s abuser. Whoever he was, he didn’t want Haru showing up to a national competition, so that meant I had two months to find out who was hurting him.

‘Fine. But I want you two to work even harder than usual next week.’

I smiled at her in agreement and she relaxed, the bell going to tell us to get back to class. Haru and I bid goodbye to our friends and we went back to our classroom for an English lesson with Fukunaga-san. He asked us to write a letter about Japan in English, as if we had a British pen pal, and that was when the idea struck me. I could go out for the morning and leave little notes around the house for Haru to find, letting him know how much I loved him. And maybe I could get flowers delivered, too! Then when I got back, I would confess to him properly, and then, maybe then, he would believe just how much I loved him. Smiling, I turned to the back page of my exercise book and started to write down everything I loved about my Haru-chan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto confesses to Haru, but does the water-obsessed boy return his feelings?

After a week of no swimming, Haru had put on so more weight and could now eat with chopsticks without his hands shaking. He was still as silent as ever, but his eyes had regained a little more shine to them. I hadn’t left his side once, so I knew his bully hadn’t been anywhere near him. Samezuka was a train ride away, and we wouldn’t be going there until Haru’s bully had been caught. Haru and I were still sharing a bed, and he woke up from nightmares frequently, but I was always there, reassuring him in the dark that everything was okay.

Today was Saturday, and I woke up before Haru, untangling him out of my arms so I could get dressed. Dad was already at work and mum was at the market, so I was going to take the twins to the library for the morning. Quietly, I went over to my school bag and opened up my English book, taking out the sticky notes I had prepared in class the other day.

I smiled at Haru’s sleeping form and crept over to my wardrobe, taking out a set of clothes for Haru and laying them on my kotatsu with the first sticky note on top.

_Good morning, Haru-chan! I’ve laid out some clothes for you to wear. I feel like we should probably go to your house soon to pick up some of your things, but I also like seeing you in my clothes. They’re always so big on you and it makes you look so adorable!_

_Makoto x_

I left my room, shutting my door as quietly as I could, and went to the bathroom. I got a blue towel out ready for Haru and I placed another note on top.

_When you have a bath this morning, please don’t stay in for too long! I always get worried about you catching a cold, and if you catch a cold, I won’t be able to hold you in bed anymore._

_Makoto xx_

Next, I went to the kitchen, where my mum had left a piece of mackerel wrapped in a plastic bag from when she had bought it at the fishmongers.

_I know how I always nag at you to have a balanced diet, but I think you look so pretty when you stand at the cooker before school in the mornings with your jammers and apron on. Every time I see you like that, I just want to wrap my arms around your waist and kiss you, but I restrain myself. I don’t know how I’ve managed to do that for all these years._

_Makoto xxx_

Once the sticky note was in place, I went into the living room and opened the DVD cabinet. At the back, I had hidden the DVD that I had bought Haru ready for his birthday in a few months. It was a documentary about waterfalls, and whilst I would find it boring, I knew Haru would love it, and I would be willing to watch it with him if it made him happy.

_Hey, Haru-chan! This was meant to be your birthday present, but you deserve a treat for how strong you’ve been. I hope you know that it’s okay to cry, but it’s also great to smile. When I see you smile it makes me fall even harder for you. Your smile is the most wonderful thing in the world._

_Makoto xxxx_

I smiled down at the DVD and the sticky note then went back upstairs. Haru was still sleeping, and his pink lips were pouting a little. My heart pounding, I woke him up and he squeaked as he roused, brilliant blue eyes staring up at me.

‘Good morning, Haru-chan. Both of my parents are out and I promised my mum that I would take the twins to the library. We’ll only be about an hour, okay?’

Haru nodded and I kissed his cheek, moving away any hair that had fallen down into his eyes. ‘Make sure you have something to eat. My mum put some mackerel in the fridge for you.’

He nodded again and I left the room, heart in my throat as I thought about all of the notes that Haru would find this morning. Part of me wanted to go back and put all of the notes in the bin, but I held firm. My confession would be good for both of us. But what if Haru didn’t reciprocate my feelings? I stopped on the stairs, hands shaking. Should I go and get the notes? I shook my head. Haru needed to know, no matter what his response was.

I left the house, finding the twins playing in the front garden, and the three of us went into the centre of Iwatobi. As we walked down to the library, I thought about the letter I had written that would be delivered with a bunch of water lilies.

_Hi again, Haru-chan._

_By the time you read this, the twins and I will be almost back from the library, and you’ll probably have realised how I feel about you._

_I’ve loved you since I was a child, and when I say love, I don’t mean it as a friend. I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I know we’ve been closer than normal friends have been, but I can’t help but want more. You’re so beautiful, Haru-chan. You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you, to hold your hand, to call you mine. I know your bully, whoever he is, has made you believe that you can’t be loved, but he’s wrong. I love you more than anything in the world and I’ll happily spend the rest of my life proving that to you._

_Makoto xxxxx_

As I sat in the library with the twins, I smiled to myself. Even if Haru didn’t reciprocate my feelings, he would know for certain that at least one person loved him, and maybe, in time, Haru could grow to love me back.

…

As we walked home, I kept feeling sick, wondering what Haru was going to say to me. By confessing to him, I had taken a big risk. What if he didn’t want to be friends with me anymore? What if it was too awkward if he knew about my feelings? I shook my head and took a few deep breaths. Even though he never said it, I knew Haru thought that our friendship was important. No matter what would happen when I arrived home, everything would be okay between us.

The twins and I climbed up the stone steps, all three of us shouting ‘I’m home!’ as we slipped off our shoes. The twins ran into the living room, each holding a canvas bag filled to the brim with books, and I followed them. On the settee sat Haru, holding a letter, and in front of him on the kotatsu was the waterfall DVD and the water lilies I had ordered for him.

‘Ren, Ran, why don’t you go and sort out your books? Then you can get started on your homework.’

‘Okay, onii-chan!’ They ran up the stairs and I turned back to Haru, sitting down beside him.

‘I would have told you verbally, but I would have just stuttered and embarrassed myself.’

Haru nodded, not saying anything. He hadn’t even looked at me yet.

‘It’s okay if you don’t return my feelings. I just wanted to tell you, to prove to you that you are lovable.’

He nodded again and turned to face me. His face was streaked with tears and I gasped. ‘Haru-chan! You don’t need to cry! I said it’s okay if you don’t return my feelings.’

‘No, it’s not that.’ He sniffed, fresh tears falling.

‘Then what is it?’

‘It’s because… I love you, too.’

I felt tears brim in my own eyes and my heart start to pound. Haru loved me. This boy, the one who I had loved since the start of forever, loved me back. ‘Then, that’s wonderful. So why are you crying?’

‘Because…’ he sniffed again, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘You can’t be in love with me. No one can.’ He cried even harder and I pulled him over to me, sitting him on my knee and wrapping my arms around him.

‘Haru… why do you think you’re unlovable? What did that awful man say to you to make you believe that?’

‘He said that I’m a horrible person. That I do horrible things.’

‘Then name one horrible thing you’ve done.’

Haru opened his mouth to reply to me, but no words came out.

‘Haru, I know you don’t believe me, but you are one of the kindest people that I know. Just because you don’t talk a lot or express your emotions doesn’t mean you’re a horrible person. In the past, you’ve been hurt by your parents and other people, so it’s understandable why you keep everything inside, but you’re not horrible. You’re the furthest thing from horrible.’

‘But… Makoto is so kind and funny and handsome and clever. Why would he want me?’

‘Because you do this to his heart.’ I took one of Haru’s hands and laid it on my chest, letting him feel how my heart pounded for him. Haru sobbed again, lifting my other hand and put it on his chest. His heart was beating in time with mine. I smiled and reached one of my hands up to Haru’s face, caressing his cheek with my thumb. ‘I love you. Don’t ever think for one second that I don’t.’

‘Okay.’ Haru nodded, smiling at me.

‘My mum should be back just after lunch. I was thinking we could go on a date together this afternoon.’

‘I’d like that.’ A few more tears escaped Haru’s eyes, but this time, they were from happiness, and I hugged him, unable to stop smiling as I held him in my arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Haru go on their first date.

Haru sat opposite me during lunch, and every time he caught me staring at him, he would blush and look away with a small smile on his face. He was so cute.

As soon as lunch was over, my mum came back from the market and I helped her put the groceries away. ‘So, ummm… what are you doing this afternoon?’

‘I promised the twins that I would watch a film with them. Do you and Haru want to join us?’

‘Actually, I was wondering if Haru and I could go out. On a date.’

My mum grinned. ‘Oh?’

‘I confessed to Haru this morning. He loves me back.’

Mum squealed and hugged me, her arms tight around me. ‘I told you, didn’t I? I knew it, I knew it! Where are you taking him?’

‘I’m going to take him to the ice cream parlour in town, then to the forest for a walk, like we did when we were little.’

‘Sounds good. Be back for tea, okay?’

I nodded and went up to my room where Haru was sat on my bed. He looked up when I entered, a light blush dusting across his cheeks.

‘Are you ready to go, Haru-chan?’

Haru nodded and we went downstairs, put our shoes on and left the house. ‘Where are we going?’ Haru asked as we walked down the stone steps and into Iwatobi.

‘I thought we could go for ice cream at the parlour in the town centre. Is that alright?’

‘As long as all the girls there from school don’t hit on you.’

‘I’ll make sure they won’t.’

Haru’s hand brushed up against mine and I took it, intertwining our fingers. Our wrists were pressed together and I could feel Haru’s pulse fluttering against mine. He really did want this. I looked over at him and found that he was already staring at me. He looked away and tossed his hair over his eyes, but his cheeks had gone bright pink and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘You’re so pretty when you blush, Haru-chan.’

He blushed even harder and turned his face into my shoulder. ‘Drop the –chan,’ he mumbled.

‘You’re so pretty when you blush, Haruka.’

He whimpered and I held back the growl that wanted to escape my throat. It would probably frighten him, but I couldn’t help myself when he sounded like that. I managed to hold it back and squeezed Haru’s hand. I was glad that we were already close as friends. I had loved Haru for a long time, and part of me couldn’t imagine the two of us taking the initial steps of our relationship slow. We already knew everything there was to know about each other. The only thing that would be new to us would be more intimate physical contact. Haru didn’t enjoy people invading his personal space, but I knew I was the only exception. Apart from Nagisa. Like anyone would ever get him to do as he was told.

We walked into the ice cream parlour, and sat at the table near the door was a group of girls from our class. One of them stood up, smiling, as if she was going to talk to me, but when she saw my hand holding Haru’s, she sat back down, face bright red. Haru hadn’t noticed and we went up to the counter, looking at the menu. ‘Shall we get a big one and share it?’

Haru nodded and he started looking at the flavours. ‘Get a mixture. I don’t like chocolate as much as you.’

‘Of course, Haru-chan.’ I left Haru stood by the fridges and went to the till, a girl only a few years older than me behind it. ‘Hi, can I get a three scoop Neapolitan with two spoons?’

She nodded, tapping my order out on the till. ‘Two spoons? But I don’t see your girlfriend anywhere.’ She said, smirking. ‘Maybe I can share it with you.’

‘It’s for me and my boyfriend.’

She froze and bowed to me in apology, then made the ice cream, still blushing as I gave her the money in exchange for the dessert. I went over to Haru, who was blushing, and I realised that he had been listening to the whole conversation. ‘Ah, sorry, Haru, but I didn’t know what else to say. I know you’re not my boyfriend but we’re on a date and I didn’t want to explain to her-’

Haru reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers again. ‘Makoto is mine,’ he whispered, wrapping his other hand around my arm. Grinning, I led him over to a table and we began to eat, talking about our return to swim practice on Monday and how Nagisa would probably try to throw us some sort of party in the changing rooms.

‘I don’t know how Rei puts up with him, but they’re a good couple. And what about Rin and Nitori? I know they’re not together yet, but I think Rin will confess to him soon.’

‘He already has.’

‘Eh? How did you know, Haru-chan?’

He just shrugged. ‘After swim practice, I found them kissing in the showers and Rin made me promise not to tell anyone yet.’

‘When was that?’

‘The day… when I…’ Haru’s fingers ghosted over his cheek, where his cut was. It was barely visible now after a week, but I understood what he meant. But wait. Haru said he had spoken to Rin in the showers. When I went back into the aquatic centre to look for Haru, Rin said he wasn’t sure where Haru was. But surely Rin would have noticed if Haru had left the changing rooms? Or had seen who had hurt Haru? But… what if it was Rin who had hurt Haru? Their rivalry was unlike anything I had seen before, but Rin’s number hadn’t come up in my phone when I typed it in after Haru had received the text from his bully. Could Rin really have gotten a separate phone just so he could bully Haru out of swimming?

I rolled my lips together and looked at Haru. Today was about him. I’d sort out his bully when the time was appropriate. And on a date wasn’t appropriate. Haru ate a mouthful of strawberry ice cream, some of it smearing onto his cheek, and I started laughing. ‘What?’

‘You’ve got ice cream on your cheek.’

Haru tried to wipe it off, but he missed every time and it made me laugh harder.

‘Here, let me do it.’ I leant forwards and wiped off the cream with my thumb. I started to pull away, wanting to wipe my thumb on the napkin, but Haru’s hand darted out, grabbing my wrist and sucking my thumb into his mouth, his small tongue deftly licking off the cream then letting go of my wrist. We stared at each other for a few seconds, our eyes wide and both of us blushing. We ate the rest of the ice cream in silence, but I stared at Haru still. He didn’t look up at me once, probably too embarrassed to. He shouldn’t be embarrassed by it. I was glad he had done it. But maybe next time… he should have done it in a more private place.

Once we had finished the ice cream, we left the parlour and I led Haru up into the hills where the forest was. He grabbed my hand as soon as we both had stood up and I smiled down at him. He may have been embarrassed, but not enough to stop holding my hand.

‘Where are we going?’ Haru whispered, still blushing.

‘We’re going to the forest we used to go to when we were little. Do you remember?’

Haru nodded. ‘Did you ermmm… want some money for the ice cream?’

‘No, it’s fine. I asked you out. You can pay next time.’

He nodded again and we entered the forest. It was always quiet here, but Haru and I used to love coming as children. We hadn’t been here in years, but it was still as beautiful as I remembered it to be. All of the trees and flowers were in full bloom and squirrels and birds were flitting between the trees. Smiling, we walked through the forest hand in hand, neither one of us saying anything, just enjoying the memories.

When we came to a small clearing in the centre of the forest, Haru tugged on my hand and I turned to him. ‘Yes, Haru-chan?’

He blushed and looked at the ground. ‘About the ice cream… I’m sorry… I don’t know why I did that. Lick your thumb, I mean.’

‘It was actually more of a suck than a lick.’

‘S-shut up…’

‘Hey, come on.’ With my other hand, I cupped Haru’s cheek and lifted up his head, making him look up at me. His cheeks were bright pink, but he had never looked more beautiful. ‘I liked it.’

‘You did?’ He whispered. Haru had never sounded so unsure before.

I nodded, caressing his cheek. ‘Yes. I’ve never seen you like that before. All shy and coy. I really, really, _really_ liked it. But,’ I said, still smiling as I dropped my voice down to a whisper, ‘don’t do it in such a public place next time.’

Haru shivered and squeezed my hand. ‘Makoto…’ He bit his lip, blue eyes wide.

I stepped closer to him, able to feel his breath on my face. I had only ever been this close to Haru in the dark, when we were both asleep. Up this close, he was even more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. Black wisps of hair curled down into his eyelashes, and his irises had tiny specks of black in them, making the blue look even more vibrant.

‘Is it… normal to… kiss… on a first date?’ He asked, still blushing.

‘I don’t think so. But… we’ve known each other since forever so…’ I trailed off, squeezing Haru’s hand, looking at his lips. They were pink and full, the bottom one plumper than the top. How would it feel to take it in between my teeth and make little indents to let Haru know he was mine?

‘Makoto… kiss me…’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Please…’

I leant down and pressed my lips to his, moving slowly so I wouldn’t alarm him. Haru kissed me back, pressing up into my mouth, trying to get closer to me. Our fingers were still intertwined and we kept on squeezing each other’s hands with every movement our lips made, fingernails tracing patterns onto the other’s skin. Haru reached up with his spare hand and wrapped it around my shoulder, still wanting to get closer but couldn’t because of our height difference. I let go of his hand and wrapped my arms around his waist, allowing Haru to rest both of his hands on my neck and shoulders. I pulled away a little, changing the angle before going back in, and Haru’s breath hitched as I kissed him harder. I was still taking it as slow as before but was now showing him how he made me feel.

After waiting a lifetime to kiss my best friend, Haru pulled away first, smiling the widest I had ever seen him. ‘So… we really are boyfriends then.’

‘Yeah, I guess we are.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oki, so I want to add smut to this story, as I think it would go nicely with it. I just wanted to know if anyone minded. If loads of people don't want it, then I won't do it :) X
> 
> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Haru explore each other's bodies a little more.

Haru and I spent half an hour longer in the forest clearing, kissing, arms around each other and hands threaded through hair, roaming over muscles and faces. We had figured out the inner workings of one another’s minds long ago, but not our bodies. Even though I’d seen him in jammers thousands of times, I never knew that at the bottom of Haru’s back there were two dimples, perfect for resting my fingers in. I had never known that his hips flared out ever so slightly, or how his waist was the perfect size for me to hold against my body. No matter what Haru’s bully had told him, I knew Haru was perfect. The only thing he needed to change about himself was his self-belief, and I would happily help him with that.

When the sun started to go down, I reluctantly pulled away from Haru, enjoying for a moment how his blush and swollen lips looked in the dim light. ‘Come on. We should be going home.’

Haru pouted but nodded. ‘Okay.’

I took his hand and pulled him towards me, away from the tree I had pushed him against at some point, and we left the forest. As we walked back to my house, Haru stood closer to me than he did before, one hand holding mine, the other one gripping my arm. ‘Are you okay?’ I asked him as we climbed up the steps to my house.

‘Yeah. I just liked spending time alone with you this afternoon.’

‘I know. So did I. We can spend tonight in my room alone, and tomorrow we can do something together as well.’

‘Can we watch my waterfall documentary?’

‘Of course. Then I think you should go home to get some more clothes. As cute as you look wearing my clothes, I’ll run out soon.’

‘You think I look cute?’ Haru asked, blushing again.

I nodded, smiling at him. ‘Of course. You’re beautiful, Haru-chan.’

The blush that had been present on Haru’s cheeks ever since we started kissing in the forest darkened. ‘Thank you.’

I chuckled and led Haru into the house. The twins ran into the genkan as soon as the front door closed and they wrapped themselves around my legs. ‘Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Where have you been with Haru-chan? Tea’s ready!’

‘Calm down, Ran. We just went out. We’re fine.’

My little sister let go of me, Ren following her lead, and the twins grabbed both of Haru’s hands, dragging him down the hall and towards the kitchen. I smiled, following them, sitting down opposite Haru at the dinner table. Haru stayed silent during dinner, but he would blush whenever he caught me looking at him, or when one of my parents hinted at our “date”. They were trying to be subtle, so the twins didn’t catch on. If Ren and Ran found out me and Haru, we’d be having a wedding ceremony in the morning with Haribo rings.

After dinner, the twins went to bed, tired from spending the afternoon with my mum, so Haru and I went up to my room, changed into our pyjamas and watched a film on my laptop. Haru sat in between my legs, his back against my chest, and half an hour into the film, all I could think about was how Haru’s body felt under my hands earlier and the dimples at the bottom of his back. I placed one arm around Haru’s waist and my other on his back, slowly dragging it downwards. Haru’s breath hitched in his throat as I reached his hips and I stopped moving my hand.

‘Do you want me to stop?’

He shook his head and I carried on, moving my hands until my thumbs rested in the dimples in my boyfriend’s back, only the thin material of an orange and yellow shirt separating us. ‘Can I lift up your shirt a bit?’

‘Yeah…’

I rolled up the material, smiling when I saw the two dimples imprinted into his pale skin. I pushed my thumbs into them and Haru whimpered, pushing back against me. I stayed still for a minute, wanting to take this slow. Most relationships didn’t progress this fast. If Haru and I hadn’t known each other like we did, we wouldn’t have even held hands on our first date. But we did know each other. We knew each other well enough to be able to tell what the other was thinking just from one look in their eyes, or from how their voice sounded, or if their hands shook. Haru wanted this. With me.

I lifted up the rest of the shirt, kissing each patch of skin as it was revealed to me. I had seen this sight thousands of times before, but not like this. I had never allowed myself to stare at it for too long, not wanting to get attached to what I thought could never be, but now I was allowed, I was going to take my time. I ran my hands up and down Haru’s back, marvelling at how smooth his skin was. When I reached his shoulders, I placed a kiss on Haru’s neck and leant forwards. ‘Can I take off your top?’

He nodded, lifting up his arms, and I slipped the shirt off him, throwing it somewhere on the floor.

‘Will you turn around for me, Haru-chan?’

Haru stayed still for a moment, and I thought I might have pushed him too far, but then he turned around, looking down at the mattress. I curled a finger under his chin and brought his head up to look at me. ‘Are you okay?’

He nodded, taking a deep breath, blue eyes wider than usual. ‘As long as it’s Makoto, it’s okay.’

I smiled, going for the hem of my own shirt. ‘And as long as it’s Haru-chan, it’s okay for me, too.’ I took off my top, putting it on the bed next to me. We sat in silence for a while, both of us blushing as we stared at each other, half-naked. Haru had seen me like this before, but it was clear from the way he was blushing that he hadn’t indulged himself either.

‘Can I touch it?’

‘Of course.’

Haru reached up, placing his hand in the centre of my chest, where my heart was. ‘Are you scared?’ He asked, able to hear my blood thumping quickly.

‘No. I’m excited. And happy. You make me so happy, Haru-chan. You’re so beautiful.’

‘You’ve seen me like this before.’ He whispered, looking away from me again.

‘But I never looked.’

He looked up again. ‘I never looked at you, either. Not like that, anyway. In case you saw me.’

‘I wouldn’t have minded.’

‘I know that now.’

Smiling, I pulled him into my lap. ‘You can look at me however you like, wherever you like, and whenever you like.’

Haru nodded, biting his lip before he spoke again. ‘Can we kiss again?’

‘You don’t need to ask me,’ but I leaned in anyway, smiling because of how cute my Haru-chan was when he was shy. The kiss was still as soft and sweet as our first kiss had been, but this time, it was faster, Haru shuffling forwards in my lap so we were even closer together.

Our nipples brushed together and Haru broke away from the kiss, crying out in pleasure. He slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide with how loud he had been. ‘I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to hear that.’

‘It’s alright. Don’t hold back. I liked how you sounded.’

Before he could reply, I went back in and kissed Haru’s neck, sucking on the base. He moaned, grabbing my shoulders and digging in his nails a little. I looked down at the hardened pink buds of his nipples and wanted to pinch them, to lick and suck them, but that would be too much too soon. I didn’t want to scare him, so I stayed at his neck, sucking a mark onto his skin, revelling in all of Haru’s little whimpers and moans and squeaks, taking immense joy in knowing I was the first person to make him sound like that.

I pulled away from his neck, smirking when I saw the mark I had made, the red smudge on his skin already purpling. ‘The next time you see your bully, show him this mark, and he’ll know that I’ll stop him, okay? He can’t hurt you when you’re with me.’

Haru sobbed and hugged me, wrapping his legs around my hips. ‘Makoto, Makoto, Makoto…’ he whispered, tears falling down his cheeks and onto my back.

‘It’s alright. I’ve got you,’ I told him, rubbing my hands up and down his back.

‘I love you so much, Makoto…’

‘I love you, too.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto makes Haru go home to pick up some of his stuff... but is that a good idea?

I woke up to Haru running his fingernails over my chest, creating tiny patterns across my skin. We hadn’t put our tops back on after last night, but I didn’t think Haru would be so bold as to touch me whilst I was still asleep. As soon as he saw me staring, he blushed and took his hand away, but I grabbed his wrist and kissed the tips of each of his fingers. ‘Good morning, Haru-chan.’

He squeaked and turned his head into my chest and I chuckled, threading my fingers through his hair. ‘You’re so cute, Haru. Maybe I should give you a nickname that’s even cuter than Haru-chan. Hmmm… kitten? Baby? Princess? Little one?’

Haru whimpered at the last one and I smiled. ‘Haru-chan my little one it is then.’ I craned my neck then, lips level with Haru’s ear. ‘Come on, little one. Time to get up.’

‘Don’t want to.’

I laughed and pulled Haru up, kissing him lightly on the cheek. His face was still flushed from sleep and his hair was tousled, looking like I had kissed him for a good half an hour.

'You're so pretty Haru-chan.'

'Don't say embarrassing things...'

'I'm not. That's the truth, little one.'

Haru blushed, but before he could tell me to shut up, the twins ran into the room and jumped onto the bed. Haru didn't bother to move, knowing that the twins knew how close Haru and I were and wouldn't question us sleeping together like this. 

'Onii-chan! We want to do Haru-chan's hair!'

I smiled, but before either I or Haru could reply, the twins pulled Haru away from me and out of the room. 

Chuckling, I put my t-shirt from last night on and went downstairs, my mum and dad already eating breakfast.

'Where's Haru?' My dad asked. 

'With the twins. They want to do his hair.'

Both of my parents laughed and I sat down to eat, the twins bringing Haru into the room once I had nearly finished. They had swept back his fringe with a plastic blue headband, and the small hairs that were left stuck up behind it had been clipped down with glittery clips, one with a cat on. My parents and I laughed when we saw him, but Haru was frowning. He sat down beside me, the twins opposite us, and started to eat. I watched his small hands as he used the chopsticks: they were no longer shaking. His eyes didn't have bags under them anymore, and his frame wasn't quite as skinny as before. He was still slender, but didn't look like he might break if you touched him. 

Haru caught me staring and blushed. 'Can you take out the clips?'

'Sure.' I got up and stood behind him, taking out each of his clips, but left the headband in. Haru frowned up at me but I just stuck out my tongue at him. ‘You look adorable with it on.’

My dad chuckled, but Haru frowned again. ‘You’re mean.’

‘Yeah, but you love me.’

Haru blushed and looked away from me, but kept the headband on until he went upstairs to get dressed.

…

After lunch, Haru and I went up to my room and watched the waterfall DVD on my laptop. I watched it for the first five minutes, then I spent the rest of the documentary staring at my beautiful boyfriend who had nestled himself between my legs, his back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my chin on top of his head, but Haru didn’t even notice. He was too engrossed by the water. I could have left the room and he wouldn’t have noticed until the film finished.

He looked up when the credits rolled and smiled at me. ‘Thank you. That was a really good film.’

‘It’s alright. You’ve been so brave. You deserved a treat, little one.’

Haru blushed and leaned up for a kiss, and I pecked him lightly on the lips but wouldn’t go any further. He pouted and I smiled, feeling the skin at the corners of my eyes crinkling. ‘You can have a proper kiss once you’ve gone home to get some of your stuff.’

‘But I like wearing Makoto’s clothes…’

‘And you look adorable in them, but you need to go and get some shirts for school and a few pairs of jammers at the very least, alright? Mine are way too big to fit you. You’re so small and delicate, Haru-chan!’

Haru blushed and stood up from the bed. ‘Alright. I’ll go and get some stuff.’

‘Do you want me to come with you?’

‘No. I’ll be okay. Besides, the twins told me this morning that they were missing you.’

‘Okay. Call me if you need anything.’

Haru nodded and left the room, heading for the stairs, whilst I went down the hall and into my brother and sister’s shared bedroom. They were sat at the kotatsu doing their homework, but they jumped up when they saw me enter the room.

‘Onii-chan!’

‘Onii-chan!’

‘I need help with maths, onii-chan!’

‘No, science!’

I laughed and sat in between them. ‘It’s okay. We can do both.’

…

Two hours later, the twins’ homework was done, but Haru hadn’t returned. I sent the twins to wash up for supper and went back to my room, picking my phone up off the desk and selecting Haru’s number. His phone started to ring in the room and I turned around, seeing that Haru had left his phone on the bedside table. How could he have rung me if he had needed help?

Sighing, I stuffed my phone into my pocket and went down to the kitchen. ‘Mum, I’m just going to get Haru.’

‘Don’t be too long. Supper’s almost ready.’

‘Of course.’ I went out into the genkan, slipped on a pair of trainers, then went outside. It was already dark outside, but neither the stars nor the moon were out yet. Had Haru been gone longer than two hours? If it was time for supper, he must have. I walked down the stone steps that led to my house and turned, looking up at Haru’s house. All of the lights were off, but stood in the porch was a man. He was as tall as me and was muscley, but it was hard to tell in this light. What was he doing outside Haru’s house? I went up two steps and the man turned around, his face obscured by the darkness. Even though there was still an entire flight of stairs between us, he backed away from me, hands curled into fists.

‘Hello?’ I asked, unsure of what to do.

At the sound of my voice, the man turned around and ran up the steps towards the shrine and disappeared into the woods behind it. Weird. I carried on climbing up the stairs, my eyes widening when I saw that Haru’s front door was open. It was always unlocked, but never open. Never wide open like this.

I ran into the house and found Haru lying on the floor in the living room, unconscious, a black eye already showing and a bruise blooming on his jaw.

What had that man done to my Haru-chan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took so long! I'm back at university now, so updates won't be as quick as they were in the summer :)
> 
> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto struggles to understand how he let Haru get hurt again. Will he be able to forgive himself?

'Haru!' I ran over to him, hands shaking. I knelt down and checked his pulse, sighing in relief when I felt it against my fingers and saw his tummy going up and down. He was breathing and he was alive. I fumbled for my phone and dialled 110. 'Ambulance!' I shouted as soon as someone picked up. 

'What's the address?'

I gave them Haru's address and as soon as the switchboard woman hung up, I dialled the number for my house. 

'Hello, Tachibana residence.'

‘Mum!’

‘Makoto?!’

‘You need to come quickly! It’s Haru! Someone’s been here and hurt him.’ All I heard next was the dial tone, and a minute later my mum ran through the door, still in her slippers and apron.

‘Oh, Haru…’

‘Stay with him. The man who hurt him ran off into the forest.’

‘Makoto! Wait!’

For the first time in my life, I ignored my mum and left the house, ran up the rest of the steps and bypassed the shrine, running straight into the forest beyond it. I switched on the torch on my phone and swept it around the area. There was no one here. Whoever had hurt Haru, they were long gone by now. But if they were someone from Samezuka, why were they all the way out here? Unless they were staying over somewhere…

I lowered my phone, eyes narrowing. Gou lived in Iwatobi, meaning that Rin stayed over occasionally. I didn’t want it to be Rin who was hurting Haru, but Haru had told me that he had spoken to Rin in the showers about his relationship with Nitori, but Rin hadn’t even mentioned seeing Haru after practice. Something wasn’t adding up.

I switched off the torch and ran back to Haru’s house, able to see that the ambulance had arrived and the paramedics were making their way up the stone steps. One was a woman, the same who had been at Samezuka when Haru had been hurt in the shower, and the other was a young man who only looked a couple of years older than me. Behind them was another man, but instead of in a paramedic uniform, this one was a police officer. I hadn't asked for the police. Unless my mum had rung back...

'So, what's he done this time?' The female paramedic asked, following me into the house. 

'He's not self-harming, I already have told you that.' I led them into the living room, the younger paramedic gasping when he saw the state of the room and Haru on the floor. I knelt down beside Haru and my mum, the paramedics opposite us.

'If he’s not doing this to himself, then who did this?' The female paramedic asked as she started to check over Haru. 

'He won't tell me. But after the incident in the showers, he did tell me it was someone from Samezuka. And they were on the swim team. And just now, before I got here, someone ran into the woods behind the shrine. I checked on Haru then went after them, but they had already gone.'

The officer stepped forwards. 'What's the verdict?'

The female paramedic stood up and snapped off her rubber gloves. 'Nothing's broken, just bruising he'll feel when he wakes up.'

'Self-inflicted?'

'No. someone did this to him.'

The officer nodded, now looking at me. 'How do you know Nanase-san?'

'We've been best friends ever since we were born, and he became my boyfriend recently.'

'And have you been having any issues with your relationship?'

'No- wait, what? Are you suggesting I did this to him?'

'Domestic violence isn't uncommon in Japan.'

'I wouldn't hurt him. I've loved him my entire life.'

'Then what about this?' The officer knelt down and pointed to a hickey blooming on Haru's neck. 

'That's different.'

'Is it, though?'

‘Officer,’ my mum said, speaking for the first time since the paramedics and the police had shown up. ‘My son would never do a thing like this. He loves Haru and would never lay a finger on him. Besides, he was with my twin son and daughter all evening helping them with homework. Makoto couldn’t have done this even if he wanted to.’

The officer nodded. ‘Well, when Nanase-san comes round, try your best to get out of him who did this. If he still doesn’t tell you, come down to the station.’

I nodded, already knowing I wouldn’t be doing that. Haru trusted me, and I wasn’t about to abandon seventeen years of trust by going to the police station to hand him in for questioning just to catch a bully. The officer and the paramedics left, and I scooped Haru up into my arms. ‘Let’s go home.’ I told my mum and she just nodded. Her face had gone pale and she had tears in her eyes.

‘Do you think I should ring Haru’s parents?’ She asked as we descended the steps.

I shrugged. Haru’s parents only called on his birthday and at Christmas. I hadn’t seen them in years, and neither had the beautiful boy in my arms. ‘Maybe. I don’t think they’ll come down from Tokyo to see him, though. They never have since they left.’

My mum nodded and we entered our house, the twins rushing to greet us. They were both grinning, but they caught sight of the bruise on Haru’s jaw. ‘What happened to Haru-chan?’

‘Why is he sleeping again?’

‘He fell over because he’s very tired.’

‘So, we can’t play with him again today?’

‘But we finished all our homework!’

My mum shushed the twins. ‘Go into the kitchen and lay the table for supper.’ The twins scampered off and my mum turned to me. ‘Do you want me to bring up some food for you and Haru?’

I shook my head. ‘No, thank you. I’ll think we’ll just go to bed. I don’t know when he’ll wake up, but I want to be there when he does.’

‘Alright. Good night.’

I carried Haru upstairs, careful not to jostle my unconscious boyfriend, and laid him down on the bed once we reached my room. I took off both pairs of our shoes before climbing in beside him, brushing the hair away from his face. He was so beautiful and precious to me. How could I have let him get hurt again? I had told him- no, promised him, that I would protect him. Breaking that promise as a friend may have been forgivable, but as a boyfriend? To me, that was inexcusable. Between now and when the identity of Haru’s bully was revealed, I wouldn’t be letting him out of my sight ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto confronts Rin.

When I woke up, Haru was already awake, staring up at the ceiling. 

'Haru?'

He turned his head, the bruising around his left eye and jaw looking worse than last night. I felt my heart drop a little at the thought of what that man had done to him.  Haru didn't deserve this. 

'How are you feeling?'

He shrugged, then buried his head into my chest. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him on the top of the head. 'It's alright. I've got you. I'm sorry. I should have gone with you. I shouldn't have let you go alone.'

'It's not your fault,' he mumbled into my chest. 'You didn't beat me up.'

'I know, but I'm your boyfriend. It's different than last time. I should be able to protect you and I couldn't.'

Haru sat up then, wincing a little. 'You brought me back. That's all you had to do.'

I nodded, still feeling bad about it. 'We can stay off school if you want.'

Haru shook his head. 'We're supposed to be back at swim club today.'

'Haru, you have bruised ribs. I'm sure Gou will understand if we miss practice today.'

'The water won't understand.' Then he stood up, grabbing his school uniform from my wardrobe. 

'Come on, we'll be late.'

...

As we walked down the corridor to our classroom, even more people stared at us than they did last week, when Haru had a scratch on his face. The bruising was much more noticeable, as was our joined hands. I wasn't bothered about people knowing we were in a relationship. I just wished the other students would stop staring at Haru like he was a circus attraction. 

As the day wore on, Haru became more and more withdrawn because of all of the staring. We ended up eating lunch in Miss Miho's classroom, and during our last class, Haru stared out of the window, not even bothering to get out his pen and paper. The teachers would keep on asking questions about what had happened to him, and each time Haru became even quieter. I just wanted to hold him and carry him home, but Haru had spent all day suffering in silence to go swimming. If he had waited this long, he could wait half an hour more.

As soon as the bell went, Haru was up like a shot and he grabbed his bag, standing next to my desk with wide eyes. I smiled and packed my things away into my bag, then let him drag me to the clubhouse. He may have been injured, but I hadn’t seen him this excited since our date. Maybe this would be good for him.

Haru pushed open the door to the clubhouse and confetti was thrown in our faces.

‘Surprise!’ Nagisa shouted, but as the confetti fell to the ground, I heard him gasp. I looked up, seeing that Nagisa, Rei, Gou, Rin, and Nitori were all wearing party hats, a sign reading ‘Welcome back, Haru-chan!’ hanging above their heads.

‘Haruka-senpai…’ Rei said, stepping forwards. ‘What happened to you?’

‘Was it your bully, Nanase-senpai?’ Nitori asked.

Haru just nodded, tightening his grip on my hand. As the others gathered around him, making sure he was alright, I found myself staring at Rin. The redhead had to know something.

Once Haru had shrugged off their concerns, Gou went out to the pool deck and the six of us got changed, Haru and I the only ones not speaking. I couldn’t stop thinking about the silhouette of the man I saw. It feasibly could have been Rin. The man who had hurt my Haru was tall and muscley, just like the redhead. It couldn’t just be a coincidence. But Haru didn’t seem to be afraid of Rin. He wasn’t smiling around him, but he hardly ever did. Either way, I needed to talk to Rin about it.

As practice was coming to an end, the others were just lazing about in the pool, floating on their backs or doing slow lengths. I called Rin back to the clubhouse and he followed, shaking some water out of his hair as he went.

‘What is it?’ He asked as I shut the door behind him.

‘Where were you last night?’

‘I was… no.’ Rin glared at me. ‘I didn’t do this to Haru. How could you ever think I would do this to him?’

‘Last year you saw him as a big rival and you would almost stop at nothing to make sure you were better than him. He got a text from his bully last week, telling him that if he didn’t quit swimming then he would hurt Ren.’

‘Ren?! I would never hurt Ren! Or Haru!’ Rin sighed and sat down on one of the benches, leg skins still wet. ‘Look, I know Haru and I weren’t the best of friends last year, but I-’

‘There’s more. Last night, when I went to find Haru, there was a man stood outside his house. He was tall. He had muscles. He knew his way around Iwatobi. Haru won’t tell me much about his bully, but I do know that he’s from Samezuka. Now, why would someone from Samezuka be all the way out in Iwatobi unless they were visiting someone and had somewhere to stay?’

‘Makoto, it wasn’t me! I wouldn’t lay a finger on Haru. Last night, I was at the cinema with Ai, alright? We were on a date. We went to see “Finding Dory”. Look,’ Rin got up and went over to his rucksack, getting out his wallet and handing me a receipt that showed payment for tickets and ice cream, dated Sunday evening.

I narrowed my eyes at him, still not believing him. He could have easily walked out of the cinema halfway through. Maybe Nitori was in on it, too. ‘When Haru was hurt in the shower, you said that you didn’t know where he was, but Haru had seen you kissing Nitori in the showers, and you had a conversation with him, asking him not to tell anyone about your relationship. Why didn’t you say anything?’

Rin groaned, getting more frustrated. ‘I don’t know! I was focusing my attention on Ai. We’d only been going out for a few weeks and I… look, Makoto, I would never hurt anyone, no matter what arguments we’ve had in the past. I wouldn’t hurt Haru, and I would never hurt Ren, okay?’

The door opened and we both turned, seeing Nitori stood in the doorway, the other four stood behind him. ‘Rin-senpai? Why are you shouting?’

‘It’s nothing,’ Rin said, glaring at me. ‘Get dressed as quick as you can, Ai. We’re leaving.’

‘Yes, senpai.’

I huffed and went out onto the pool deck, Haru following me. He didn’t say anything, just got back in the pool and floated on his back, and I sat down at the edge, watching him. I heard the others say goodbye to the two Samezuka swimmers, but I didn’t get up or turn around.

I didn’t want it to be Rin who hurt Haru. I didn’t even want to have to do this. But someone had hurt my Haru and I was going to find out who it was sooner or later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru and Makoto argue a little, but then they make up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

As Haru and I walked home after swim practice, we were both silent until we got to the street by the beach. 

'What happened between you and Rin before?'

'It's not important.'

Haru stopped walking and gave me a look. 'Makoto.'

I sighed and took Haru's hand in mine. 'I accused him of hurting you.'

'It wasn't him, Makoto.'

'I know that now, but... he knows where you live, his statement was inconsistent with what you said had happened in showers that day, and you weren't the best of friends last year. I just thought...' I sighed, swinging our hands. 'I just want to protect you.'

'You can't protect me from him, Makoto,' Haru whispered, blue eyes filled with tears, and he carried on walking, pulling me along with him. 

Haru didn't think I could protect him from his bully. Or did he not want me to? Was he not worthy of being saved? Or maybe... I wasn't the one Haru wanted to save him. 

Haru's hand slipped out of my grip and we walked to my house side by side, a little more space between us than ever had been. 

...

During the next few days, Haru and I grew apart. We didn’t hold hands on the way to school, we barely kissed or hugged, and it got to a point that even though we shared the same bed, the only time we made contact was by accident, when one of us rolled over in the night. I loved Haru with all of my heart, but I just couldn’t help but feel like he didn’t really love me.

On Friday night, Haru finally said something about it. Mum was out, having taken the twins to a disco at their school, and Dad had decided to stay longer at work to catch up with his papers.

'Why won't you touch me?' Haru asked, eyes filled with hurt as he sat on the bed opposite me. 

'I didn't think you wanted me to,' I told him with a shrug. Even when we hadn't been boyfriends, we still had more physical contact than we'd had in the past week.

'Why?'

‘The other day, after my argument with Rin, you told me that I couldn’t protect you from your bully. I thought you meant that you wanted someone else to save you.’

'I didn't mean it like that. I meant...' Haru sighed and shuffled closer to me. 'He's strong. Probably as strong as you. I don't want you getting hurt.'

'Are you sure that's what you meant?'

Haru nodded and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was stupid. After all these years of friendship, I should have just asked him to clarify what he meant by it. 'I'm sorry. Come here.' I held out my arms and Haru crawled into them. He buried his head into my chest and sighed as my arms closed around him. 

'I missed you.' He said.

'I was here the whole time.'

'I know, but I missed you touching me and being cuddled.'

I held Haru tighter. 'I'm sorry.'

'Idiot.' Haru lifted his head and pressed his lips to mine. It had been just under a week since we had last kissed, and Haru felt desperate against my mouth. He pulled away, blue eyes wide. ‘Don’t ever do that again. I don’t like being apart from you.’

Before I could promise him that it would never happen again, Haru’s lips were back on mine, even more urgent than before. He pulled away again, trying to get his breath back, and I kissed down his neck, making Haru whimper.

‘Is this okay?’ I asked. We had gone further than this before, but I didn’t want to push Haru right now, since we’d only just made up.

‘Yes… please, touch me more…’

I nodded and unbuttoned Haru’s school shirt, accidentally brushing my fingers over one of his hardened nipples. Haru arched up into my touch, and I leaned down, licking over the nub through the shirt. Haru squeaked, looking down at me with half-lidded eyes. I bit down on his nipple slightly, not enough to hurt him, but just enough to make him feel it. He gasped beneath me and I sat back up, undoing the rest of his shirt and opening it up, one nipple now a little red. I went back down on it, sucking and biting, and Haru started writhing around, holding onto my shoulders. When I heard him sob, I let go of his nipple and looked up at his face, finding that Haru had started to cry.

‘Haru?! Are you okay?! Did I hurt you?’

He shook his head. ‘No. Well, yes. I like it to hurt a little bit. I think.’

I smiled, relieved, and kissed him, slipping the shirt off his shoulders. Haru’s hands reached out and unbuttoned my shirt, his fingers circling my nipples.

‘Do you like it to hurt?’ He asked against my lips.

‘Maybe a tiny bit.’

He nodded and we resumed kissing, Haru managing to elicit small moans out of me every time he pinched one of my nipples. When I pulled out of the kiss to catch my breath, Haru pushed me to lie down, his vivid blue eyes staring at me.

‘Will you touch me?’

‘I have been doing.’

‘No, I mean…’ Haru glanced downwards, and I now saw there was a tent in his school pants, a lot smaller than my own.

‘Are you sure?’

Haru nodded and I undid his belt, pulling his trousers off, then his boxers. Haru’s cock was small, but the tip was leaking precome. It was cute. Just like my Haru-chan. I brought my finger to the head of his dick, wiping off the precome. Haru gasped and I brought my finger up to his mouth. ‘Will you taste yourself for me, little one?’

Haru whimpered and stuck his tongue out eagerly, licking off the precome, then sucking my finger into his mouth. His eyes were wide and his lips looked beautiful like that. I wondered how his gorgeous lips would look stretched around my dick. I moaned as Haru kept on sucking, feeling myself grow harder in my pants. Haru reached a hand down to my crotch and palmed a hand over my crotch and I pulled my finger out of his mouth as I moaned.

He knelt down in between my legs, his mouth dangerously close to my crotch. ‘Can I take off your trousers, Sir?’

I couldn’t help the groan that escaped my mouth at that nickname, and I started to imagine Haru dressed in his school uniform, wearing a skirt and his shirt unbuttoned a little, asking me to help him with his homework. ‘Of course, you can, baby boy.’

Haru smirked and undid my belt, then pulled my trousers and boxers down at the same time. I sighed as some of the pressure on my cock was finally released, but Haru was looking at my cock with wide eyes.

‘You okay?’

‘Yeah, it’s just a little… big.’

I chuckled, but I was cut off when Haru’s hand wrapped around the base of my cock, pumping it slowly. He licked the tip, swallowing my precome, then wrapped his lips around the head, taking in the first couple of inches. I moaned, fisting both of my hands into the sheets, watching Haru go down on me. His lips looked even more beautiful than they had around my finger, but this time he was sucking in earnest, the slurping noises he was making turning me on even more.

Haru pulled off me, pumping my cock a few more times before he spoke. ‘Can we have sex?’

‘Ah, I don’t think we can, Haru. I don’t have any lube or condoms. But we could do something else, maybe?’

The blue-eyed boy nodded and I sat up, pulling up my trousers a little so that they covered my thigh. I picked Haru up, placing him on my thigh, so his bare skin rested against the rough material of my school pants.

‘Makoto?’

‘I don’t believe that’s my name, little one.’

Haru blushed. ‘What are you doing, _Sir_?’

‘I’m going to touch you all over, just like you asked, and you’re going to ride my thigh. And if you’re a good boy, next time,’ I leaned in close, lips almost touching Haru’s ear, ‘I’ll fuck you.’

Haru shivered and started to rock back and forwards on my thigh, maintaining eye contact. ‘You’re hot when you talk like that.’

‘It’s all for you, little one,’ I told him, meaning it completely. If my relationship with Haru had begun under different circumstances, I doubt I would have ever said anything like I just had, but he was so vulnerable right now and seemed like he wanted to be taken care of, to be handled with care. Maybe that’s why he called me sir. Either way, we were both enjoying ourselves, so why did the reason behind it matter?

I wrapped one of my hands around both of our cocks, rubbing them together as I pumped them slowly. Haru moaned, his head falling forwards, speeding up. His porcelain skin moved like silk against me, and I reached my other hand around him, digging two of my fingers into the dimples in Haru’s back.

Haru threw his head back and his mouth opened in a gasp that he couldn’t get out. Smirking, I leaned forwards and sucked up the column of Haru’s neck whilst it was exposed to me. Haru squeaked, his face turning even pinker, and I moved my hand down, over Haru’s ass cheeks. I parted them a little and Haru regained some of his senses.

‘What are you…’

I poked the tip of my index finger into his puckered entrance and Haru rode my thigh even faster, so I sped up the rate at which I pumped our cocks.

‘Sir! I’m going to come!’

I smiled. This was the most vocal I had ever heard Haru be. I should definitely do this more often.

‘It’s okay, little one. You can come.’ I bit down on Haru’s neck and he cried out as he came. His cum spurted over my hand and cock, and the warmth teamed with knowing who the cum belonged to and that I had made him do that made me cum, too, gasping out Haru’s name.

Haru rode my thigh for a few more moments, his face blissed out, then he led down on top of me, both of us panting.

‘That was amazing, Haru.’

‘Maybe you should abstain from touching me again.’

I smiled, running my clean hand through Haru’s hair. ‘Well, you were a very good boy, so I guess I need to go out and get some lube and condoms, right?’

I felt Haru smile against my chest. ‘I guess you do.’

We laid there for a few minutes before I lifted Haru off me, the smaller boy whining. ‘Shush, it’s alright, little one. I’m just going to get a towel to clean up.’

‘Okay, Sir.’

I smiled and went to the bathroom, kicking off my pants before I left my room, and grabbed a towel, hurrying back to the bedroom with it. I cleaned Haru up, then myself, and climbed into bed beside my boyfriend, who was already dropping off. I brought him into my arms, planting a kiss in his hair. ‘I’m sorry, I won’t ever hurt you again,’ I whispered, but Haru’s breathing deepened and I knew that he was already asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Makoto make up.

On Monday morning, after a blissful weekend spent with my boyfriend and my family, Haru and I walked to school, planning on returning to the swim club properly this week. Haru, as always, didn’t talk, but he was happy to hold my hand as he stared at the ocean.

‘I was thinking that maybe we could take the twins to that new water park a few towns away? If we get most of our homework done by Friday night, we should be fine to go on Saturday-’

Haru tugged on my hand and I stopped talking, looking down at him. ‘Yes, Haru-chan?’

He blushed, then leaned up on his tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. I smiled and squeezed his hand. ‘Thank you, but what was that for?’

‘I won’t get to do it for the rest of the day…’

My smile got wider and I swung our hand between us. ‘You can do it in the locker room after school. I’m sure Nagisa and Rei won’t mind. Oh, one more thing,’ we started walking again, the school now in sight. ‘I was thinking that we could go into town after swim practice? I need to get that… stuff you asked me for.’

Haru blushed. ‘You don’t have to get it straight away.’

‘But I promised you. And you were a very good boy for me on Friday.’

My boyfriend’s blush got even darker. ‘Okay, sir.’

I smiled and we went into school, making our way to class. Throughout the day, fewer people stared at Haru’s fading bruises, but there was plenty of gossip floating around. More people knew about our relationship than last week, but there were rumours flying around that I had hurt Haru, that Haru’s parents didn’t live with him because of his sexuality, that if all the swimmers on the team were gay, then the manager had to be, too. None of it was true, and as the five of us sat on the roof to eat lunch together, Haru smiled as the rest of us laughed about how ridiculous it all was.

After school, we all walked to the pool together, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Rin stood on the pool deck, still in his Samezuka uniform. Gou and Nagisa ran to him and he smiled at them, the sight of his sharp teeth disappearing when he saw me. I looked away but carried on walking, planning on going into the locker room until Rin grabbed my wrist.

‘Can we talk?’ He asked

I nodded, waiting until Haru, Nagisa, and Rei had gone into the locker room. Rin glanced at Gou and she huffed, heading into the club room. ‘What is it?’ I asked when we were alone.

‘I just wanted to apologise about last week. I shouldn’t have just left. I should have known that you would have suspected me, especially after everything that went on last year.’ His phone rang in his pocket and Rin took it out, declining the call before he even saw who was calling him. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be. I shouldn’t have accused you. Haru told me afterwards that it wasn’t you. I should have known anyway. He didn’t act scared around you, and you would never hurt him like that. Or threaten Ren. I should have rung you on Monday night to apologise.’

Rin nodded, rolling up his sleeves. ‘Friends, again?’ He asked, holding out a hand.

I chuckled and pulled him in for a hug. ‘Friends again.’

His phone rang again and I let go of him. ‘You should probably answer that.’

‘Yeah.’ He got it out of his pocket and flipped it open, tutting when he saw the name on the screen. ‘What is it, Momo? I told you not to disturb me unless it was an emergency… wait, what?... slow down, I can’t hear you… okay, try again. What’s happened?’

I stayed stood in front of Rin watching as his face changed from confusion to upset. ‘Right, right. I’m on my way.’

He hung up and made to go towards the gate, but I grabbed his arm. ‘What’s happened?’

‘It’s Ai. Momo found him unconscious in their dorm. Someone’s beaten him up.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all of my American readers, I hope you're all doing okay today.
> 
> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is the bully who hurt Nitori the same bully who hurt Haru?

'Rin...' I whispered, too shocked to form proper words. 

The redhead covered his face. 'Shit... shit! I swear to god if it's those bullies again-'

'Wait.' I grabbed his wrist before he could go and he glared at me, tears in his red eyes. 'What if it's the same man who hurt Haru? He's from Samezuka and on the swim team.'

Rin's eyes widened. 'Get Haru.'

I nodded and ran into the changing rooms where Haru was already in his jammers, looking for his goggles in his bag. 

'Haru, get dressed.'

'Why?'

'Yeah,' Nagisa interrupted, 'that's not what you were saying last night.'

I ignored the blond. 'It's Nitori. He's been beaten up.'

Haru’s eyes widened, understanding what I was getting at. He threw his clothes back on faster than he had ever taken them off, slung his bag on, then grabbed my hand. 'Let's go.'

'I want to come! Ai-chan's my friend!' Nagisa whined but Rei shushed him.

'We'll stay and practice, Makoto-senpai. Ring us when you know something.’

‘Thanks, Rei.’ Haru and I left the changing rooms, and on the pool deck Rin and Gou were chatting, both redheads upset, and Miss Miho was stood with them, parasol up.

‘This is such a dreadful situation. Would you like me to drive you over there?’

‘I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you-’

Miss Miho scoffed. ‘It’s not an inconvenience, Matsuoka-san.’

‘Thank you.’ Rin bowed, then scratched the back of his neck. ‘Can Makoto and Haru come, too? Makoto thinks that Ai may have been hurt by the same person who’s bullying Haru. And I think he’s right.’

Miss Miho nodded and the three of us followed her to her car. Rin sat in the front with Miss Miho, and in the rearview mirror, I could see that Rin’s eyes had filled with tears again. If he had stayed at Samezuka today, then his boyfriend wouldn’t have been hurt. Knowing that must be killing him.

I reached over to Haru and held his hand in mine, giving it a quick squeeze. This guy – whoever he was – was willing to hurt people at any moment. I wouldn’t be letting Haru out of my sight again, not after last time.

…

As soon as Miss Miho had pulled up on the curb outside Samezuka, Rin was out of the car, sprinting for the dormitory buildings, and Haru and I chased him. We followed him into the last building and along the corridor on the ground floor until we got to the nurses' office. 

'Where is he?!'

'Where is who?'

'You know who I mean!'

'Matsuoka-san-'

Haru and I ran into the room and restrained Rin before he could hurt the nurse. 'Calm down, Rin.’ I looked over at the nurse whose face had gone very pale. 'I'm sorry, but Rin's boyfriend, Nitori Aiichirou, was beaten up about an hour ago.'

The nurse nodded and led us to the back of the room where a section had been cordoned off with curtains. The nurse pulled them aside, revealing Nitori. He was asleep in his school uniform, and he would have looked peaceful if he didn't have a bruise in the middle of his throat as well as on one of his eyelids.

Rin gasped and started to cry, turning to hug me. I wrapped my arms around him and glanced at Haru who just shrugged. We'd dealt with an emotional Rin before, but that was more of I-want-to-swim-in-the-relay-with-you upset, not my boyfriend-has-been-beaten-up upset. 

'Rin-senpai?'

We all turned around and saw Momo stood in the doorway, holding two bottles of pocket sweat. 

'Momo, how did this happen?' Rin asked as the first year came towards us. 

'I don't know. I had science last lesson and I had to clean my work bench because my experiment went wrong. Swim practice had already started by then, so I ran back to the dorm to get my kit, but Ai-senpai was on the floor. He was conscious but he was in a lot of pain. I didn't see who did it. I'm sorry, Rin-senpai.'

Rin nodded and sat down beside Nitori, taking his hand in his. As soon as the redhead touched him, Nitori's unbruised eyelid opened and he smiled. 'Rin-senpai,' he said, the bruise on his throat making his voice come out croaky, 'I thought you were in Iwatobi.'

'Momo rang me. He told me what happened.'

'I told him not to...'

'That's the least of your worries right now, Ai. You need to tell me who did this to you.'

Nitori shook his head and turned away. 

'Ai, you have to tell me!'

'He doesn't if he doesn't want to.'

We all turned to the direction the voice came from to see Sousuke leant against the door frame. 

'Sousuke, stay out of this. Ai needs to tell me.'

Sousuke sighed and wandered into the room. 'Have you considered that he's maybe being threatened?'

Rin turned back to Ai. 'Are you being threatened?'

Nitori didn't say anything but his light blue eyes filled with tears. 

'Ai! Please, tell me who did this to you!'

Nitori shook his head again and Haru ran from the room. I followed, only catching up to him when he was halfway back to where Miss Miho's car was parked. 

'Haru!' I grabbed his hand and my boyfriend turned to face me, tears rolling down his cheeks. 'The person who beat up Nitori, did he hurt you, too?'

Haru whimpered then buried his head against my chest. 'Yes. It was him.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto comforts Haru, then they go shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW-ish.

‘Yes. It was him.’

I stood for a moment, not doing anything, then I wrapped my arms around Haru. ‘It’s okay,’ I said, but was it? How did Haru even know that he and Nitori had been hurt by the same person? They didn’t even speak to each other just now. ‘How… how do you know it’s him? That you have the same bully, I mean.’

Haru lifted his head out of my chest. ‘I just do.’

‘It’s because you’re both being threatened to not tell anyone about it, right?’

Haru nodded. ‘Can we go into town?’

I sighed and ran my hand up and down Haru’s back. ‘Are you sure?’

He nodded and looked up at me through his lashes. ‘Why? Did you change your mind? Do you not want to have sex with me anymore?’

‘Haru!’ I blushed and looked around, checking that no Samezuka students had heard. ‘I do want to,’ I said, lowering my voice, ‘but you’re upset. I don’t want you making a decision as big as this when you’re upset.’

‘I wasn’t upset last night or this morning when I’d already made the decision.’

I nodded and looked away from him, letting my hands drop to my sides. ‘But what if you regret it after we’ve done it?’

‘Will you regret it?’ Haru asked.

I shook my head. ‘I would never regret anything I ever do with you.’

‘And neither will I.’ Haru’s small hands reached up and cupped my face, making me look at him. ‘Makoto, you’re the only person who’s been there for me for almost my whole life. You’ve taken care of me up until now and I have no doubt you’ll continue to do so. You’re so kind and caring and wonderful. I never thought you would love me back, but now that I know you do, I plan to stay with you forever.’ Haru went up on his tiptoes and pecked me on the lips, then gave me a small smile. ‘Condoms?’

…

Miss Miho kindly dropped us off in Iwatobi town centre instead of at the bottom of the steps that led to mine and Haru’s houses. As soon as we got out of the car, Haru grabbed my hand and dragged me into the drugstore. I followed him down the condom aisle and we stood in silence for a moment in front of all the boxes.

‘How do you want to go about this then?’ Haru finally asked.

‘Well, I think most couples switch, but I guess we’re going to have to decide who’ll bottom first.’

‘I’ll do it.’

‘Are you sure, Haru? It’s going to hurt.’

He shrugged and squeezed my hand. ‘As long as it’s Makoto, it’s okay.’ His blue eyes scanned the labels on the boxes, then he glanced at my crotch, and reached for a box of plain ones in extra-large.

I blushed. ‘Haru…’

‘It’s got nothing to do with me.’

I sighed and reached to get a small to medium box of the same brand, but Haru grabbed my wrist.

‘Are you sure you want me to top at some point?’ Haru asked.

‘Of course. Why wouldn’t I?’

‘Well…’ Haru blushed and looked away from me. ‘I’m a lot smaller than you. What if you don’t find it pleasurable?’

I smiled and placed a kiss in his hair. ‘I’ll find it pleasurable. Don’t worry, little one.’

Haru nuzzled his face into my chest and I wrapped my arm around him. I grabbed the other box of condoms as well as two bottles of lube, then Haru went to wait outside as I paid.

When I emerged from the shop, Haru was pushed against the glass outside with some boy from a neighbouring high school trying to chat him up. I narrowed my eyes and walked towards them: so this was how Haru felt when all the girls in our class confessed to me.

‘Is there a problem here?’ I asked.

Haru’s eyes lit up when he saw me and he broke out of the boy’s grip and ran to my side, wrapping both of his hands around my arm.

All of the colour drained away from the boys’ face. ‘Oh. I’m sorry. He said he had a boyfriend but I didn’t believe him.’

‘Really?’ I glared at the boy and he took a step away from me. ‘Maybe next time you start flirting with someone and they tell you they have a boyfriend you should believe them.’

‘Yeah… sorry.’ The boy turned and walked off but I stayed stood still, glaring at the back of the boy’s head until he was out of sight.

‘Makoto?’ Haru said, tugging on my arm.

I turned to him, feeling possessive as he looked up at me with wide eyes and biting his plump bottom lip. Up until recently, I had never thought of him as vulnerable, but after his bully had come along, and especially after that second attack, I should have known better than to leave him on his own. I pulled Haru down the nearest empty alleyway and pushed him against the wall, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

‘Makoto?’ He said again.

This time, instead of just staring at him, I leaned in and started to kiss his neck, sucking and biting the porcelain skin, making Haru moan.

‘Ahh… Makoto… we’re in public…’

‘Don’t care…’ I mumbled against his skin, then carried on kissing the same spot. Haru squirmed against me, but he knew I wasn’t going to stop, so he threaded one hand through my hair and one in between my fingers, pulling me closer. I pulled away when I deemed my work finished, and I grinned when I saw the red mark I made.

‘What was that for?’ Haru asked, reaching up a hand to try and cover it with his school collar.

I smirked and pulled it back down. ‘To make sure no one else goes near you, little one.’

He blushed and I took his hand, and we walked through the town centre with salarymen and housewives unable to take their eyes off the blooming mark on my boyfriend’s neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Haru volunteer at ITSCR.

A couple of days later, Sasabe-coach-chi turned up to swim practice, a strained look on his face.

‘Is everything okay, Sasabe-coach-chi?’ Gou asked as Rei and Nagisa practiced their relay changeover.

‘Well, it’s not all bad. I’m just struggling with staff at ITSCR. It’s stressing me out a little.’

‘I’ll help you out if you want,’ I said from by the pool. Haru was in the water, but he was only swimming around by my ankles.

‘Me, too,’ my boyfriend said, gave me a quick smile, then swam off to do to a couple of lengths.

‘Really, boys?’ Sasabe-coach-chi asked, sitting down beside me.

‘Of course. We don’t have any job experience, but we can swim.’

‘Great!’ Sasabe-coach-chi clapped his hands together. ‘Do you think you’d be up for coaching the kids?’

I nodded. ‘If I can handle Ren & Ran, I’m sure I can handle a group of kids. Haru can, too.’

Sasabe-coach-chi stood up. ‘Drop by at ITSCR before you go home. I have a later session with a few kids so you can have a trial class with them.’

‘Okay.’

Sasabe-coach-chi got up and practically skipped off the pool deck, and Haru swam back over to me. ‘Is he going to let us help out?’

I nodded. ‘We need to go after practice. I’m a little confused as to why you want to help out, though.’

Haru shrugged and leant his head on my knees. ‘It means I get to swim and spend more time with you.’

I chuckled and ran one of my hands through his wet hair. ‘We spend all of our time together.’

‘I know, I just… if I’m alone again… he’ll find me…’

I lifted Haru out of the water and onto my lap. ‘He can’t hurt you, okay? Not anymore. Not when I’m with you.’

Haru nodded, then slid back into the water. He swam off again and I watched him. He was getting better, but every time I thought he was getting back to how he used to be, something would happen and he would take three steps back. I sighed and slid into the water myself, following him across the pool. I didn’t know what I’d do when I found it who was hurting him. If I even would ever find out. But I knew that I would make that man pay for what he had done to my Haru.

…

After practice, we went down to ITSCR and changed into the wetsuits Sasabe-coach-chi had left out for us in the changing rooms. Haru pulled at the material and I laughed at the expression on his face.

‘Can’t I just wear my jammers?’

‘No, Haru. Come on.’ We went out onto the pool deck where four children had gathered around Sasabe-coach-chi.

‘Are we all ready for today’s practice?’

‘Yes, Sasabe-coach-chi!’

‘We’ve got two special guests with us today.’ Sasabe-coach-chi ushered us forwards and Haru and I went to stand with him. ‘This is Makoto-coach-chi and Haruka-coach-chi. They’re both brilliant swimmers.’

‘Can we see?’ A girl at the front asked.

Sasabe-coach-chi nodded and I looked at Haru. ‘Relay?’

My boyfriend nodded and I got into the water, grabbed onto the bars on the diving block and jumped backwards, letting my body glide into the water as I swam backstroke to the other end. After my turn, all of the children started to cheer, but there were gasps of wonder when I slammed my hand onto the wall of the pool and Haru soared above me and into the water. I got out and cheered my boyfriend on with the kids, helping him out of the water once he had finished.

‘That was so cool!’ A little boy whispered, his pink-brown hair dangling down into his eyes.

‘Would you all like to swim a relay?’ I asked.

The children cheered and got into the pool, Haru getting in after them.

‘I think I’ll leave you to it,’ Sasabe-coach-chi whispered to me, then left the pool deck. I got into the pool and stood next to Haru, the four children staring up at us with attentive eyes.

‘Who knows what swimming styles are in a relay?’ Haru asked, voice deadpan as always.

The other little girl put her hand up. ‘Backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, and freestyle!’

Haru nodded. ‘Who wants to swim what?’

Three of the children shouted out different styles, but the boy with pink-brown hair stayed silent. I went over to him and knelt down in the water. ‘Hey. What style do you want to swim?’

‘I-I can’t swim any style. I don’t like getting water in my eyes. It stings.’

‘I know. I didn’t like it at first, either. But if you swim backstroke, you won’t get water in your eyes at all. You can keep them open and look at the sky.’

‘Really?!’

I nodded and went back over to Haru. ‘Does everyone have a style?’

‘Yeah!’

I took the boy with pink-brown hair and one of the girls to one side of the pool and Haru with two of the kids to the other. The girl at my side went first, swimming freestyle, then a boy came over after swimming breast stroke. He high-fived the boy with pink-brown hair, but then he turned to me. ‘I’m scared. What if I get water in my eyes?’

‘I’ll make sure you don’t. I’ll swim with you, okay?’

He smiled and led on his back in the water and I pulled him along by his hands as he kicked his legs. I watched as his eyes lit up as he looked at the sky through the glass ceiling and I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t known what I wanted to do after high school, but after watching this little boy’s reaction, I think I knew now.

Once we got to the other side, the boy high-fived the other girl and she swam butterfly to the other end. The children cheered when they finished, and Sasabe-coach-chi came back onto the pool deck.

‘Come on, kids. Out of the pool. The class is over for today.’

All four of the children pouted but climbed out of the pool. ‘Thank you, Makoto-coach-chi and Haruka-coach-chi!’ They all shouted before bowing and toddling off to the changing rooms. I smiled and as Haru and I got out of the pool, Sasabe-coach-chi came over to us.

‘Same time next week, boys?’

We both nodded and he walked us to the staff changing rooms. ‘When you’re ready to go, come to the till to get your wages.’

‘Ah, Sasabe-coach-chi, are you sure?’ I asked. ‘I thought this was just voluntary.’

He shrugged. ‘If you don’t want me to give you money, I’ll just give it to Miho-san and ask her to put into the swim club funds. Either way, you’ll still benefit from it.’

Sasabe-coach-chi left us and Haru and I got changed, heading out to the foyer of ITSCR when we were dressed back in our school uniform. The boy with pink-brown hair from our lesson was sat on a bench with a boy about our age with light pink hair. The older boy turned to us and he smiled.

‘Makoto! Haru! How are you?’

‘Kisumi!’ I smiled as he hugged me and watched with amusement as he went for Haru but my boyfriend refused him.

‘The same as always, Haru. Still crushing on Makoto, then?’

Haru whined and I just smiled and joined our hands. ‘He’s my boyfriend, Kisumi.’

His purple eyes widened, then he clapped. ‘It took you both long enough. When’s the wedding?’

Haru and I both blushed. ‘We haven’t been together that long…’

‘Onii-chan, can we go home now?’

The three of us turned to the boy with pink-brown hair and I realised that he was Kisumi’s little brother.

‘Yeah, sure, one second.’ Kisumi turned back to us. ‘This is my little brother, Hayato. Did he behave for you in class today?’

‘He’s a great student. He should definitely continue swimming backstroke.’

Hayato averted his eyes and Kisumi took his hand. ‘We’ll see you next week. Wave, Hayato!’

The little boy smiled at us as he left the building, then Haru and I followed and went in the opposite direction towards my house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto's parents suggest a change of pace.

As we walked home, I kept thinking about how Hayato had looked when he swam backstroke for the first time. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a swim coach.

‘Hey, Haru?’

‘Mmm?’

‘I think I know what I want to do after school. I want to be a swim coach.’

‘My swim coach?’ He asked and I smiled.

‘If you like. But I didn’t think you wanted to swim like that.’

‘I’ve changed my mind.’

I stopped walking and looked at Haru. ‘You want to swim competitively?’

Haru nodded. ‘I didn’t think I wanted to, but I’ve realised that I do. Last year, some talents scouts came up to me at competitions but I turned them down because I didn’t know what I wanted and because I was a second year. But this year, at prefecturals and nationals, I’m going to win the one hundred metre freestyle so all of the talent scouts notice me, and then I’ll have a large choice of universities.’

I opened my mouth to remind him that his bully had warned him about going to swim competitions, but I stopped myself. If Haru stayed by my side, then I could protect him forever. Instead, I grinned and hugged Haru before we carried on walking. ‘And I’ll train to be your swim coach. Where do you wanna study?’

Haru shrugged. ‘Whenever you go, I’ll come to.’

I frowned, but I quickly turned it into a smile. Neither of us should pick universities based on where the other person was going just because of our relationship, but because of his bullying, maybe for once we should both be selfish and stay together. ‘We’ll research universities together this weekend then.’

My boyfriend nodded and we arrived home, the twins running to the genkan as soon as they heard the front door open and dragged us both into the kitchen. My parents were already there and they smiled up at us. There was no food on the table and I frowned: what was going on?

‘Sit down, boys. We want to have a little chat with you. Ren & Ran, please go upstairs.’

Haru and I exchanged a glance then sat down opposite my parents. I didn’t have a clue what they were going to say, but they were smiling, so I guess it wasn’t going to be something awful.

‘Is everything okay?’ I asked.

‘Everything’s fine. It’s just…’ my dad trailed off and he chuckled whilst he blushed.

‘I found the condoms,’ my mum said and I went bright red.

‘Mum, I, ermmm… we, we wouldn’t errrr do anything whilst you or the twins are in the house. It’s just… you know… for when we’re ready.’

My mum smiled. ‘We realised. But I was thinking… you’re both almost at the end of high school and thinking of going to university. You need to become more independent, especially you, Makoto. We were thinking that you and Haru could move into Haru’s house. And that way, there’s no risk of the two of us or the twins walking in on you.’

I smiled and looked at Haru, but he was staring down at the table. ‘Haru? Do you not think it’s a good idea?’

He glanced up at me and shrugged. ‘He knows where I live…’

I nodded and turned to him properly. ‘I’ll protect you, okay? I’ll take care of you and we’ll look after all of the stray cats and we’ll redecorate and we’ll lock the front door from now on, okay? He won’t be able to come anywhere near you.’

Haru nodded and turned to my parents. ‘Okay. We’ll move in together properly.’

Mum clapped her hands together in happiness and my dad chuckled, but the twins thundered down the stairs with tears in their eyes. ‘You’re leaving?!’ They both shouted.

‘You’ll still see us,’ I told them and my brother and sister climbed into my lap.

‘But it won’t be the same!’

‘But you won’t have to share rooms anymore.’

Ran gasped and she scrambled off my knee and back upstairs. Ren looked up at me. ‘Onii-chan?’

‘Mmm?’

‘What are condoms?’

…

Haru, the twins, and my parents helped me carry all of my belongings over to Haru’s house, along with the few things Haru had kept round at mine, and within an hour, my family had left. My clothes were hanging beside Haru’s in the wardrobe and our shoes were sat next to each other in the genkan. I couldn’t help but smile and I skipped into the kitchen where Haru was wearing his apron, chopping up green beans. I stood behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder.

‘What are you making?’

‘Thai green curry.’

I smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. ‘Thank you.’ We stood in silence for a few moments longer until I spoke again. ‘Hey, do you think when we go to university we should live together?’

Haru put knife the down and turned his head. ‘Are you asking me to move in with you?’

I blushed. ‘Well… we technically already are living together… so we would just be moving house…’

Haru smiled and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. ‘Don’t be so embarrassed. Stupid, Makoto. Of course, we’ll live together at university.’

I grinned and kissed his neck, watching him prepare our first meal in our own house together. Our house. _Our home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The round of applause goes to Ren for asking the awkward questions in life.  
> Also, forgot to say in the last update, I've finished university for Christmas, so I'm going to concentrate on updating the story as it's almost done :)
> 
> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru and Makoto have another shift at ITSCR.

After a week of living together, Haru had been smiling like I had never seen him before. His face was still inscrutable at school, but at swim practice, at ITSCR, at _our home,_ he smiled a lot more. He had never been like this, not even before his grandma had passed away, but I was thrilled to know that I was the one making him this happy.

It was Saturday, and Haru and I were manning the front desk at ITSCR. Rei and Nagisa were on the other side, the bubbly blond nattering away about our choice to study in Tokyo together after high school.

‘Maybe we should study in Tokyo, too! What do you think, Rei-chan?’

Rei pushed his glasses up. ‘Nagisa-kun, you don’t even know what you want to study.’

‘Astrophysics, obviously. Do you not listen to anything I say, Rei-chan? You’re supposed to be my boyfriend!’

The bluenette just smiled and kissed Nagisa’s cheek. ‘I am. I’m just not sure how easy it would be to live with you.’

Nagisa pouted, but before the blond could say anything in retaliation, there was a shout from the entrance.

‘Makoto! Haru!’

We both looked up and saw Kisumi, along with Rin and Sousuke. I smiled and waved, but Haru turned away from them. I chuckled and wrapped an arm around his waist: he really didn’t like Kisumi. ‘Hey, guys. You here for a lesson?’

Kisumi laughed. ‘As if. There’s no point me even trying when I know how good you lot all are. I’m just here to pick up Hayato.’ The pink-haired boy smiled then went onto the pool deck, but Haru still didn’t turn around.

I glanced at Rin and frowned when I saw that Nitori wasn’t with him. If the bully was at Samezuka, then surely it made sense to keep him with someone at all times so the culprit would be caught if he tried anything? ‘Rin, where’s Nitori?’

‘He’s gone shopping with Momo. Calm down, I wouldn’t leave Ai alone at Samezuka for his bully to get him. What kind of boyfriend do you think I am?’

I sighed and started to rub circles against Haru’s waist. ‘Sorry, I thought you just left him at the academy on his own.’

Rin smirked and shook his head. ‘I would never do that. Besides, Ai does have a life. I’m not going to lock him away because of one bully. Unlike you with Haru.’

I tutted. Haru stayed by my side because he was frightened. I wasn’t keeping him hidden away. ‘It’s not like that, is it, Haru?’

My boyfriend didn’t say anything. Instead, he rested his head against my shoulder and wrapped his hands around my arm so he was squeezing my bicep.

‘Haru?’

Rin sighed. ‘I’m sure it’s not, but it is kind of weird. You two are always together. Don’t you get sick of the sight of each other? Anyway, since the bully hasn’t struck in a while, I was thinking that we could have a joint practice?’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yeah, it’ll be fine. I’ll ring you later with the details.’ Rin went onto the pool deck, but Sousuke stayed at the front desk.

‘How’s Nanase?’

‘Better. But he still won’t tell me who hurt him.’

‘Well, if he’s being threatened, then maybe it’s for the best. Right, Nanase?’

Haru didn’t say anything and just clung to me tighter.

‘Ermmm… no offence, Yamazaki-kun, but I don’t think you’re helping.’

The older man nodded. ‘You’re right. Sorry. I’ll see you at joint practice.’ Then he followed Rin and Kisumi onto the pool deck.

Haru turned around then and I saw that there were tears in his eyes and I gathered him in my arms. ‘Haru… I know you don’t like Kisumi, but-’

My boyfriend sobbed. ‘I want to go home.’

I bit my lip. I wanted to send him home; he was in no fit state to work, but his bully knew where we lived. I couldn’t leave him on his own. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

‘Please,’ he whispered.

‘We’ll stay with him, Makoto-senpai,’ Rei offered and I smiled.

‘Thanks, guys.’ I turned to Haru and placed a kiss on his forehead. ‘Is that alright? If Rei and Nagisa take you home and stay with you until I finish our shift?’

Haru nodded and looked up, planting a kiss on my cheek. ‘That’s fine. I’ll see you at home.’ Then he slipped out of my arms, grabbed his bag from under the desk, and walked out with Rei and Nagisa, the blond chattering on about how this would be his first time visiting the house since I had moved in. I watched Haru until I could no longer see him then I sighed. I knew he didn’t like Kisumi, but his bully was from Samezuka. So, what had just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Haru's first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

When I got home from work, Haru was in the back room with Rei and Nagisa, playing with the stray cats who had come in from the back garden. I smiled when I saw the three of them and Haru turned around when he heard me enter. ‘Welcome home.’

‘I’m home.’

Nagisa got up and bounded over to me with a large grin on his face. ‘You two are so cute! You’re like a married couple!’

I blushed, unsure of how to respond, and Rei came over. ‘Nagisa-kun and I have a test on Monday to study for. We’ll see you at school, Makoto-senpai.’

‘Rei-chan! I want to stay longer!’

Rei sighed. ‘Nagisa-kun, this is their house. We’ve stayed long enough.’

Nagisa pouted. ‘Fine.’

I smiled. ‘I’ll see you out.’ I walked them both to the front door and saw them down the stone steps, shutting and locking the door once they were out of sight. I returned to the back room where Haru was still sat on the floor, a white cat in his lap. I sat down next to him, stretching my feet out onto the porch. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Better. I’m sorry about before. I just…’

He trailed off and I put my arm around him, the white cat now nuzzling her head into my chest. ‘It’s okay. I know that you and Kisumi aren’t the best of friends. I just wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from you. You seemed okay the other day when he turned up.’

Haru just shrugged. ‘I know, I…’ He sighed and leant his head against my shoulder.

‘You don’t have to explain.’

‘Thank you.’ He lifted his head up and kissed me on the lips. He took the cat off our laps and cupped my jaw, deepening the kiss. I smiled and rested my hands on his waist, pulling him onto my knee. Haru wrapped his legs around my waist and moved his hands down to my shoulders. He pulled away and smiled at me. ‘I love you.’

‘I know. I’m so happy that you do. And I love you, too. You know that, right? I love you so, so, so much.’

Haru nodded. ‘Yes, I know.’ He bit his lip and looked up at me with wide eyes. He looked so cute and beautiful.

I leaned in and kissed him again, but I cupped the back of his head this time and pressed my fingers lightly into his neck. He moaned and opened his mouth and I sucked on his bottom lip, making Haru sit up and try to get even closer to me than he already was. He pulled away and kissed the corner of my mouth, my cheek, my jaw, then nipped down my neck, leaving tiny red marks. Once he got to the collar of my work shirt, he looked up at me. ‘Tonight?’

‘What… Haru… Are you sure you want to do it now?’

Haru nodded and ground his hips into mine, letting me feel his already half-hard length through his jeans. ‘I want to do it.’

‘But, are you sure? You got upset today. I don’t want you to do it if you’re upset.’

‘I’m fine. Nagisa and Rei cheered me up. Besides, if I’m with you, then I’ll be okay.’

I took a deep breath and smiled. ‘Alright. Why don’t you go upstairs and get yourself ready? Draw the curtains in our room, but the lights on, do whatever you need to. I’m going to lock all the doors, alright? I don’t want to leave your side afterwards.’

Haru nodded, gave me one last kiss, then he climbed out of my lap and left the room. I put all of the cats outside and secured the sliding doors, then went into the kitchen to lock the back door. I got myself a glass of water and gulped it down, leaning against one of the countertops. This was really happening. Haru and I were going to make love. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. With shaking hands, I put the glass in the sink and went upstairs. I walked into our bedroom and saw Haru sat on the bed.

He looked up when I came in and smiled. He had drawn the curtains and put on the lamp on our bedside table, and had put my box of condoms on the bed as well as one of the bottles of lube.

I smiled and strode over to him, taking one of his hands in mine. ‘Ready?’

He nodded and I took my phone out of my pocket, placing it face down on the bedside table. Haru stood up and kissed me, his hands resting on my chest. His fingers moved and undid the buttons on my work shirt, lifting it over my head once he had undone them. He took a step back and looked at my chest, biting his lip once again as he blushed.

‘You don’t have to feel ashamed to look at my chest anymore, little one.’

Haru’s blush got darker and he nodded. ‘Undress me, please, Sir.’

‘Of course, Haru-chan.’ Smiling, I lifted his t-shirt over his head, then I pushed him down onto the bed. I straddled his hips and leant down, sucking one of his hardened nipples. His back arched as he moaned and I bit down on the nipple, turning his moan into a cry. I nibbled on his skin and his fingers threaded through my hair, holding me in place. I latched my lips back on his nipple and sucked it for a few minutes, and when I pulled off, his chest was red and the skin circling his nipple was all swollen, making it look like a blooming flower.

Haru looked down at his chest and moaned when he saw what I had done. ‘Are you trying to stop me from swimming?’

‘No. I just like everyone seeing who you belong to.’ I kissed down his chest, leaving a bite every so often until I got to his belt. ‘Can I?’ I asked, raising my head.

He nodded and I undid his belt, then undid the button and zip on his jeans, pulling them down his legs and off, taking his socks with them. On the front of Haru’s blue boxers was a small wet patch and I smiled, leaning down once again. I brought the wet material into my mouth, along with the tip of Haru’s cock.

‘Ahh!’ Haru’s hips bucked up and I pulled off him. ‘S-sorry, Makoto…’

I just chuckled and took his boxers all the way off, going down on him properly.

Haru gasped and his legs started to shake. I placed my hands on thighs, holding him still as I sucked him off.

‘Ah, Makoto! I’m going to come!’

I looked up and nodded around his small cock, telling him that it was okay. He gasped as his hips bucked up, coming into my mouth. I wanted to pull off, unsure about the taste at first, but stayed still, gathering it in my mouth and swallowing it, now liking the slightly sweet and salty substance. I pulled off Haru’s cock and sat up a little, licking up any cum I had missed.

‘Ah… sir…’ Haru sat up and leaned towards me, wanting a kiss, but then pulled away before our lips could touch. ‘C-can I?’

‘You want to taste yourself, little one?’

Haru nodded and kissed me, sucking my lips and tongue, moaning into my mouth when he tasted himself.

‘Do you like how you taste?’

He nodded. ‘Can I taste you?’

‘Of course, you can.’

Haru’s hand went to my belt and I helped him get my trousers, boxers, and socks off. We were both eventually sat on the bed, both of us naked and staring at each other. My cock was resting against my stomach and Haru’s eyes were glued to it. ‘Can I?’

I nodded and he bent over so he was on all fours, and he brought the tip into his mouth. I hissed in pleasure, resting one of my hands on his lower back, trying not to buck up into his mouth. I was a lot bigger than Haru and I didn’t want to choke my small boyfriend.

Haru sucked the tip in earnest, and well he pulled away, I saw that his lips were covered in pre-cum. His small tongue darted out of his mouth and he licked it away, then his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed it.

‘G-good?’ I asked, sure that my face was bright red.

‘Really good.’ Haru went back down on me, taking a few inches into his mouth, and he looked up at me. Tears were gathering in his eyes and it made the pigments in his irises stand out even more. Instead of pulling off like I thought he would do, he took me in even further until there were only a few inches left exposed. I could see my cock just starting to enter his throat and Haru pulled off me with a gasp, then he sat up and rested his head against my shoulder.

I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his forehead. ‘You so good to me, little one. Such a good boy.’

‘Your good boy…’ Haru muttered, then he kissed my shoulder.

‘We can stop now if you want. You seem tired.’

My boyfriend shook his head. ‘I’m not. I want to carry on.’ Haru looked up at me, tears gone from his eyes. ‘Will you prepare me?’

I gave him a reassuring smile. ‘Lie on your front. It’ll hurt less that way.’

Haru nodded and did as I said, lying down on his front, whimpering when his re-hardened cock made contact with the bed sheets.

I picked up a cushion from next to the kotatsu and put it on the bed. ‘Can you lift your hips up for me, little one? I’m going to but this cushion under your cute tummy. It’ll make the preparation hurt less.’

Haru lifted up his hips and I slipped the cushion under him. My boyfriend moaned and rutted against the cushion, but I placed my hand on his lower back and stilled his movement. ‘If you come again right now, Haru, it’ll hurt. You’re still too sensitive. Just stay still for me, okay?’

He hummed in agreement and I popped open the cap of the lube and slicked up three of my fingers. ‘I’m going to start now, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Haru whispered.

I knelt down and spread his cheeks apart and saw his entrance, the rim small and pink and perfect. I brought my fingers towards it and circled the rim with them, letting Haru get used to the feel of my fingers and the lube before I pushed in my index finger. Haru’s rim tensed around the digit and I planted two kisses in the dimples on his lower back. ‘It’s alright. I know it feels strange but you need to relax or it will hurt.’

Haru didn’t say anything, but a moment later, he relaxed and I moved my finger in further until it was right down to the knuckle.

‘Is it in?’ Haru asked, moving his hips back onto it.

‘Yes. How does it feel?’

‘Weird. But it doesn’t hurt.’

‘Good. I’m going to move it now, okay?’

He nodded and I moved the finger that was inside of him from side to side, then added the next finger. Haru tensed again but quickly relaxed and I spread my fingers apart inside of him, stretching him slowly. Haru rolled his hips backwards and he looked at me over his shoulder.

‘Does it feel less uncomfortable now?’

Haru nodded. ‘I quite like it.’

I blushed and added a third finger, keeping eye contact with Haru. As soon as the third finger was all the way in, Haru cried out, his eyes going wider than I had ever seen them do. ‘Was that… oh, god, was that my prostate?’

I nodded and pushed my fingers against it again, smirking when Haru moaned louder.

‘Makoto!’

‘What?’ I asked, trying not to chuckle.

‘Please don’t massage it, sir.’

I smiled and leaned forwards, kissing the tip of his nose. ‘I plan to, little one.’ I moved my fingers against it again and Haru’s hips ground backwards as he cried out. I carried on stretching him, making sure to poke his prostate every once in a while, before I finally pulled my three fingers out.

Haru whimpered at the loss and he turned over, tossing the cushion to the floor. He grabbed a condom from the box and rolled it on me, then slicked up my member with lube before lying back down, but this time, he was on his back.

‘Haru, it’ll hurt less if you’re on your tummy.’

‘I know. But it feels weird not being able to see you when we’re about to lose our virginities to each other. I’d rather we do it like this.’

‘Okay.’ I moved forwards and hooked Haru’s legs into the crooks of my elbows and positioned myself at his entrance. ‘It’s not too late. Tell me that you don’t what this and I’ll stop right now.’

Haru sat up and kissed me. ‘I want this. With you. I love you.’

‘I love you, too.’ I gave Haru one final kiss and as soon as he had gotten comfortable again, I pushed inside him. He hissed in pain as his rim stretched and I let go of one of his legs and pumped his cock. He sighed when the pleasure mixed with his pain and I pushed in further, stroking his length until I was all the way inside.

Haru let out a shuddery breath and he smiled at me with tears in his eyes.

‘I’m sorry for hurting you,’ I told him, feeling guilty.

‘It’s okay. It’s just uncomfortable, but it still feels kind of good. You’re big. You’ve made my tummy bulge.’

I looked down and indeed, there was a small bulge in Haru’s normally flat tummy. I pressed one of my hands against it and Haru moaned, grinding his hips down. It accidentally made me move and Haru hissed in pain.

‘Sorry, sorry…’

‘How do I feel?’ He asked.

‘Good. So good. You’re so tight and warm. I want to move but I don’t want to hurt you.’

‘It’s okay. Try moving again.’

I did as he said, going slowly, and the tip of my cock brushed against his prostate. Haru gasped and his back arched off the bed a little. ‘Again… please…’

I pulled out a little then went back in, hitting his prostate dead on and earning a moan from Haru. I slid further out, then thrust back in as hard as I could and Haru’s legs wrapped themselves around my waist.

‘More, please.’

‘Are you sure?’

He nodded and I complied, moving in and out of him quicker. His rim tightened around me with every movement I made and I was finding it hard not just to thrust into him with abandon, but I held back, not wanting to use my full strength and end up hurting him.

After a couple more hits to his prostate, Haru was clawing at my back with his blunt nails. ‘Do it harder.’

‘I… ah…’ My head fell forwards as I gasped. Haru felt so good. It was taking all I had to not just come. ‘It’ll hurt.’

‘I like it when it hurts a little.’

‘A-alright…’ Knowing that was true, I slid backwards, almost until I had fully slipped out, then I thrust back in, rougher and harder than I had before and Haru groaned, his walls tightening and squeezing my cock. ‘Are you close?’ I asked, feeling the familiar heat gathering in my stomach.

Haru opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he just nodded and some tears fell down his cheeks.

‘Am I hurting you?’

He shook his head. ‘N-no… just good… so good, Makoto…’

I hit his prostate again and he cried out. ‘Right there!’

‘You said… ah, fuck… not to abuse it.’

‘Please, Makoto!’

I did as he asked, making sure to hit his prostate with every thrust. I grabbed his hips, driving myself into him over and over again, ready to come, but I wouldn’t until Haru did.

‘Are you close?’ I managed to get out in between moans.

‘Yes, just… ah…’ Haru’s hips were undulating against mine, and even though he was pumping his own cock, he still wasn’t coming. He needed something else.

‘Come on, Haru. Come for me, little one. You always look so pretty when you come,’ I told him, still hitting his prostate. ‘You’re so pretty, and all for me, spread open like this, taking my cock so well. I love you so much, princess.’

What I had said seemed to do the trick. Haru cried out and tightened around me and he came, his cum spurting over his tummy and mine, and I thrust faster as I allowed myself to come. I pulled out slowly, Haru hissing a little when I left him feeling empty. I tied the condom up and threw it into the bin, then grabbed the tissues from the kotatsu and quickly cleaned away any cum or lube before my legs gave way beneath me. Now that we had both come, I didn’t realise how tired it had made me. I collapsed next to Haru and my boyfriend curled into my side, wincing in pain a little as he did.

‘Did I hurt you too much?’

‘No. It’s fine. I’ll get used to it. Besides,’ Haru looked up, his black bangs sticking to his forehead with sweat, ‘I kind of liked it when it hurt.’

‘You masochist.’

He gave me a small giggle then we settled down under the sheets. Haru planted a tiny kiss in the centre of my chest. ‘Love you.’

‘Love you, too.’ I closed my eyes, caressing Haru’s back as I felt myself drift off to sleep, but before I slipped out of consciousness, I just managed to hear Haru say:

‘You should call me princess more often.’

…

In the morning, I was woken by my phone going off. Groaning, I blindly reached over to the bedside table and picked up my phone. I turned it over, my heart beat jumping into my throat. On the screen, lit up in capital letters, it read; Haru’s bully. I had kept the number on my phone after I found that horrible text Haru had received about Ren but I hadn’t known what to do with it.

Should I answer it? I looked over at Haru. He was still sound asleep, head against my chest with a small smile on his face. I looked back at the phone. I felt guilty, like it would be a betrayal of trust since I got the number from Haru’s phone, but I had to answer it. This might have been my only chance to find out who had hurt Haru.

‘Hello?’ I said, bringing the phone up to my ear.

‘Is this Tachibana? Rin gave me your number. He said he wanted me to organise the joint practice.’

I swallowed down the lump in my throat. I recognised the voice. But I had to make sure.

‘I’m sorry, but who is this?’

‘It’s Yamazaki Sousuke.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how much I wanted to write Momo right at the end just to fuck with you all ;)
> 
> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and the others formulate a plan.

‘It’s Yamazaki Sousuke.’

I felt like the breath had been knocked out of my lungs. It all made sense now.

‘Tachibana? You still there?’

‘Oh… ermmm… yes, so joint practice for an hour and a half on Monday, starting at four o’clock?’

‘That sounds fine. I’ll tell Rin. Catch you later.’

‘Yeah, bye.’ I hung up and let my phone fall to the floor. The sound made Haru squeak and he opened his eyes. He smiled up at me, head still against my chest, but the smile faded when he saw the look on my face.

‘Makoto? What’s wrong? Do you regret what we did last night?’

‘What? No, no, god, no, Haru.’ I sat up and placed him on my lap, giving him a quick kiss. ‘I love you, I don’t regret it all. I’m sorry for making you think that.’

Haru breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Then, what’s wrong?’

I picked up my phone and showed him the call history. His blue eyes widened when he saw whose name was at the top of the list. ‘How did you get that number?’

‘It was just after he first hurt you. You were asleep and your phone went off so I checked it to see if it was important. I didn’t mean to read it, I’m sorry. I don’t want to invade your privacy.’

Haru kissed my cheek. ‘It’s okay. But… you know who it is now, right?’

I nodded. ‘Yamazaki.’

Haru shuddered just from his name and tears welled up in his eyes. ‘I’m sorry for not telling you but he was threatening me.’

‘I know. It’s okay. I understand now.’ I gathered him in my arms and let him cry on my shoulder. ‘That’s how you knew Nitori had been hurt by the same person as you. Yamazaki came in the room and neither of you could speak, and then you ran off. And yesterday at the swim club, it wasn’t Kisumi that upset you. It was Yamazaki.’ My eyes narrowed with anger. Yamazaki had hurt the man I loved more than anything. He was going to pay. My arms tightened around Haru and he looked up at me.

‘Makoto?’

‘I’m going to kill him.’

‘Makoto!’ More tears escaped his eyes. ‘You can’t! If he knows that I told you, he’ll kill me, he’ll kill you, and Nitori, and Ren & Ran. He can’t know.’ Haru hiccupped and he held a hand over his mouth.

I shook my head and wiped away his tears, feeling myself start to cry. ‘You didn’t tell me. I found out myself. And if I don’t do something, he will end up killing you. How did it start? You need to tell me.’

Haru hiccupped again and dragged his hand across his face to get rid of his tears. ‘At the start of the school year. At our first joint practice at Samezuka, he cornered me by the vending machines and told me not to get in Rin’s way. He told me to stop swimming or he’d hurt me. I didn’t think he was being serious, but a week later, after you and I had done homework together and you’d gone home, he came to my house and beat me up.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Because he said he would hurt you if I told anyone. I was already in love with you by then, and even if I wasn’t, I couldn’t stand the thought of you getting hurt because of me. But it got worse and worse. I couldn’t buy any food. Whenever I went to the supermarket, he made sure to be there. I even changed my schedule but he’d still be there. He was stalking me. I soon ran out of food at home and the only time I got to eat was when you brought me lunch. He was starving me and I couldn’t do anything about it…’ He sobbed and I rubbed my hands up and down his back. I knew Haru had been hurt but I hadn’t realised it had been this bad and I started to cry. ‘But I didn’t want to stop swimming and at our last joint practice, he brought the knife. Rin and Nitori were too wrapped up in each other to notice him come into the showers. And then that night I went to go and get some clothes… he was there. He beat me up then because I hadn’t stopped swimming and because I was staying with you. He said it wasn’t as easy to stalk me when I was with you and he knew I had started eating again. Yamazaki wasn’t happy.’ He hiccupped again and I hugged him even tighter.

‘He did all of this because of Rin?’

Haru nodded. ‘He’s been in love with Rin since they were kids and has wanted him to be the best swimmer. He saw me as a threat to Rin’s dream, and since he was in love with him, he saw Nitori as a threat. Yamazaki wants to be with Rin because he thinks he’s the only person good enough for him as well as the only one to help get better at swimming. He thinks Nitori is a distraction to Rin, too. Rin hasn’t been as competitive or fierce since they started dating. He thinks that Nitori will bring a stop to Rin’s dream.’

‘He wouldn’t do that. Nitori loves Rin. If anything, Nitori would help and encourage Rin to achieve his dream more than Yamazaki could.’

‘I know. Yamazaki’s delusional.’

‘I need to call Rin and the others. They need to know.’

‘But he’ll kill me…’ Haru gasped and I kissed his forehead.

‘He won’t, I promise he won’t. But we need to get the others here. If you won’t confess to the police, then we need to formulate a plan that will get Yamazaki to confess, okay?’

He nodded. ‘Can we have a bath first?’

‘Of course. I’m sorry for making you cry. I didn’t imagine waking up after our first time like this. But now I know who hurt you, I can protect you.’

Haru nodded. ‘It’s okay.’ He gave me small smile and kissed my neck. ‘Bath?’

‘Can you stand?’

Haru detached himself from me and stood up, but his legs shook and I grabbed him before he could fall. I picked him up, legs over my arm and his hands on my shoulder. ‘Do you think we can both fit in the tub?’

Haru smiled and kissed my cheek. ‘Definitely.’

…

After our bath and breakfast, I sat in the back room and rang Rin.

‘Makoto, it’s Sunday morning. I’m in bed with Ai. What the hell do you want?’

‘Nitori’s with you? Anyone else?’

‘Momo’s still asleep in the bunk above us. Why does it matter?’

‘Yamazaki’s not with you?’

‘No, he’s in our dorm. Makoto, what’s going on?’

‘Get yourself and Nitori dressed and get round here as soon as possible. If you see Yamazaki, do not tell him where you’re going and don’t let him come with you, okay?’

‘Alright, fine. We’ll be around there in about an hour.’

I hung up and Haru came to sit next to me. ‘What did he say?’

‘He’ll be around here soon. I’m going to ring Rei, Nagisa, and Gou, too. They all need to know.’

Haru nodded, and within an hour, Rei, Nagisa, Gou, Rin, and Nitori were all sat around the kotatsu in our back room, all looking as bewildered as each other.

‘So,’ Rin said, ‘we’re all very confused. Care to tell us why we’re sat playing with stray cats at the crack of dawn on Sunday?’

‘I know who’s bullying Haru and Nitori.’

Everyone sat up. ‘Who is it, Mako-chan?’

‘How did you even find out?’ Gou asked.

I explained to them about the text and got out my phone and Haru’s out. ‘Rin, did you bring your phone?’

The red-head nodded and brought his phone out of his pocket. ‘Yeah. Why?’

‘Go to your contacts and type in this number. I want you to tell me who comes up.’

I gave him the number and Rin looked up when he finished typing. ‘You’re lying.’

‘What name is it, Rin?’

‘You’re lying!’

I opened up the text about Ren on Haru’s phone and I slid it across the kotatsu towards Rin. The redhead checked the number on the text and he shook his head. ‘Why would he do that to Haru and Ai?’

‘Who is it?’ Nagisa asked and picked up Rin’s phone and his mouth fell open. ‘Sou-chan…’

Rei and Gou both gasped. ‘What?! Sousuke-kun would never do this! I’ve known him almost my whole life!’ Gou said, looking just as shocked and upset as Rin.

‘It was him,’ Haru said. ‘He hurt me because he saw me as a threat to Rin’s swimming dream.’

‘And he hurt me because he’s in love with Rin-senpai…’ Ai said, trailing off as he started to cry.

The upset and shock melted off Rin’s face, as if he just remembered that his best friend had beaten up his boyfriend. Rin brought Ai into his arms and kissed the top of his head. ‘I’m so sorry. If I had known-’

‘But Nitori wouldn’t tell you,’ I interrupted. ‘Yamazaki has been threatening him. He even managed to starve Haru. Something needs to be done about it.’

‘Then we go to the police!’ Rei said, sounding more flustered than usual.

Haru and Ai shook their heads. ‘He’ll kill us if he finds out we told anyone,’ Haru whispered.

‘Then how do we prove it if you won’t tell the police?’ Gou asked.

‘We need to get him to confess,’ I said. ‘We’re supposed to be having a joint practice tomorrow, so Yamazaki will definitely be at Samezuka, probably waiting to hurt Haru again. If Haru stays here with Kou, then he definitely won’t get hurt. And Nitori can come round here, too.’

‘But how will we get him to confess?’

‘I know how.’ Nitori said and we all turned to look at him. ‘There are security cameras on the pool deck. Captain Mikoshiba used to tape Gou-chan and joint practice and I caught him doing it once. If you wait in the surveillance room at the natatorium, I’ll go on the pool deck. I’ll tell Yamazaki that I’m going to go to the police, and you need to record him beating me up.’

‘What?!’ Rin shouted. ‘Ai, I’m not letting you do that!’

‘I’ll do it,’ Haru said, but before I had the chance to tell him no, Nitori spoke.

‘Nanase-senpai, Yamazaki has only hurt me once. I can take it. You stay here with Gou-chan.’

‘Ai…’ Rin whispered.

Nitori looked up at his boyfriend. ‘You and Tachibana-senpai stay in the surveillance room. Nagisa-kun and Rei-kun can record the footage, and when he starts to hurt me, you can come and stop him. It’ll work. I know it will.’

‘But what if it doesn’t? I can’t let you take that risk.’

‘I’ll be fine, Rin-senpai.’ Ai kissed his boyfriend’s cheek then turned to me with a small smile on his face. ‘It sounds like a plan, Tachibana-senpai.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Rin carry out the plan, but will Sousuke fall for their trap?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of violence, so tread with caution if that makes you feel uncomfortable.

At lunchtime on Monday, I sat on the roof with Haru, Nagisa, Rei, and Gou; my boyfriend leaning his head against my shoulder. We had finalised the plan yesterday afternoon, and now all that was left was to carry it out. We had asked permission to leave school early on the pretence of being able to get to Samezuka on time for practice, when it was actually so we could set up the recording equipment in the surveillance room at the natatorium.

Nagisa put down his cream bread after only a bite and brought his knees up to his chest. ‘What if Ai-chan gets really hurt? He’s one of my best friends.’

‘Rin and I will be just a room or so away, and so will you and Rei. As soon as we get Sousuke’s confession, we’ll make sure he’s safe, okay?’

Nagisa nodded. ‘Okay. How are you feeling, Haru?’

My boyfriend sat up and shrugged. ‘I’ll just be glad when it’s over. I wish Nitori didn’t have to do this, though.’

We all nodded in agreement. ‘He’ll be okay,’ Gou said. ‘He’s small, but he’s strong. Onii-chan will look after him and make sure he’s okay once it’s all over. They love each other so much. Ai-kun will be okay,’ she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

The bell went and we all trudged back to our classrooms. Haru and I had maths, but everything went in one ear and out the other. All I could think about was what Sousuke had done to my Haru. My fist clenched around the pen in my hand and I shook my head. I didn’t know what I would do to him when I saw him, but I knew he was going to pay for what he had done.

The bell went again and Haru and I packed up our things, then we went to the pool where Gou, Rei, and Nagisa were waiting.

‘Is everyone ready?’ I asked.

Rei, Nagisa, and Gou all nodded, but Haru pressed himself to my chest and I wrapped my arms around him.

‘I don’t want to leave your side, sir,’ he whispered.

‘Haru…’ I felt my eyes well up with tears and I kissed the top of his head. ‘Don’t do this.’

He looked up at me and I saw that he had already started to cry. ‘But what if he hurts you? What if he puts you in hospital?’

‘He’s not going to, I promise. We’re going to be an hour at Samezuka, tops, then I’ll come home and we’ll eat dinner and we’ll watch television and play with the cats and kiss each other goodnight and I’ll be okay.’

Haru nodded. ‘Okay. I love you.’

‘I love you, too.’

Haru went up onto his tiptoes and kissed me. His lips quivered against mine and it broke my heart to see and feel how scared he was, but this needed to be done. I pulled away first and took his hand, handing him over to Gou.

‘I’ll be okay,’ I said and gave him one last kiss then left through the gate with Nagisa and Rei following me. Just before we would be out of sight, I turned around and saw Gou holding a crying Haru. I wanted to run back, to tell him that I would leave it up to Rin, but this had to be done. I carried on walking.

…

During the train ride, the three of us didn’t speak. We had nothing to say to each other. The mood had gone sour and none of us were looking forward to what was going to happen. We got off without a sound at Samezuka and wandered into the academy’s aquatic centre. Rin and Nitori were waiting in the foyer, still in their school uniforms. Nitori was paler than usual and his hands were shaking, but he smiled when he saw us.

‘How are you feeling, Ai-kun?’ Rei asked.

‘I’m okay.’

‘Liar,’ Rin said. ‘He cried himself to sleep last night.’

‘Nitori,’ I said, stepping forwards. ‘We can try and do this some other way. You can say no.’

‘But I’ve already said yes and this plan will work. I’ll be okay, Tachibana-senpai.’ Nitori swallowed down the lump in his throat and Rin gathered him in his arms.

‘It’s going to be okay. You’re so brave, Ai. I love you so, so, so much.’

Nitori nodded and pulled away from his boyfriend. ‘I know. I love you, too.’ He turned to Rei. ‘The surveillance room is this way.’

We all followed Nitori through a door opposite to the side which the pool deck and the changing rooms were on and into a small room with three televisions. One screen showed the foyer, another the warm-up pool, and the final one; the pool deck.

‘How does the sound work?’ Rei asked.

‘It records sound automatically, but you’ll need to plug headphones to hear it through the television. And you’ll need to press record.’

Rei nodded and sat down on the chair in front of the televisions. He took his laptop out of his bag and linked it up to the televisions, and the black and white feed for the pool deck appeared on his laptop screen. ‘Okay, it’s recording. Have you got your headphones, Nagisa-kun?’

The blond hummed and took them out of his blazer pocket. Rei plugged them into his computer and he and Nagisa shared a bud each. I put down my school bag and turned to Nitori.

‘You should get on the pool deck. Make sure to stay in view of the camera.’

Nitori nodded and went to leave, but Rin grabbed his hand. ‘If he threatens you, get out of their straight away.’

‘He needs to threaten me. But please, don’t worry. I’m going to be okay, Rin-senpai.’ Nitori kissed his boyfriend on the cheek then left the surveillance room.

I put a hand on Rin’s shoulder. ‘He’s going to be okay.’

Rin clenched his jaw. ‘I’m going to kill Sousuke. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to sit in class with him today, knowing that he’s hurt Ai? And Haru?’

‘I can’t imagine what it’s like. But he’ll get what’s coming to him. Do the rest of the swimmers know not to come to practice?’

‘Well, I told them that there’s something up with the chlorine levels, so I said we were going to have a practice at ITSCR. I squared it with Sasabe-coach-chi. He’s fine with it, but is a little confused.’

I nodded and turned my attention back to the screens. Sousuke wandered into the foyer and I looked at the pool deck. Nitori was standing on the pool deck, only a few feet from the water. He was staring straight at the camera, but his head jerked and he looked towards where the door would be. I looked back at the live footage for the foyer and saw Sousuke had gone: he’d just entered the pool deck.

We all turned our attentions to the pool deck feed. Sousuke was now stood in front of Nitori, and the two looked like they were chatting, but they probably weren’t.

‘What are they saying?’ Rin asked.

‘He’s telling Ai-chan that if he doesn’t break up with you, then he’ll put him in a coma.’

Rin growled and went for the door but I held him back. ‘Wait, Rin. We don’t have him admitting to threatening and hurting Haru yet. Just wait a little longer.’

The redhead said nothing but stayed where he was and we watched the screen again. I could see that Nitori was speaking, but suddenly, Sousuke reached out with both of his hands and wrapped them around Nitori’s neck, and Rin bolted from the room. I ran after him and we burst through the doors and onto the pool deck. In the time it had taken us to get across the foyer, Sousuke had forced Nitori down onto the tiled floor but still had his hands wrapped around his neck. Nitori was struggling under him, but Sousuke wasn’t letting up. He heard us come in and looked up, smirking when he saw us. He lifted Nitori up, smacked the boy’s head on the ground, and then threw him into the pool.

‘Ai!’ Rin jumped into the pool, going to rescue his boyfriend, and I went for Sousuke.

He stood up and smiled when he saw me coming. ‘Finally worked it out, Tachibana. Surprised it wasn’t sooner. You should have heard how much Nanase screamed for you when I punched him.’

I ran forwards and punched Sousuke in the jaw, then kicked him to the floor before he had a chance to punch me back. ‘Don’t you dare talk about Haru again!’

‘Or what?’

I kicked Sousuke in the side, at least one rib cracking under my foot, and when I went in again, I was being pulled away by Rei and Nagisa.

‘Mako-chan! We have the evidence! You need to calm down or they’ll arrest you, too!’

I nodded and broke out of their grip, just in time to see Rin resurfacing with Nitori. Whilst Rei and Nagisa got some lane dividers to tie up Sousuke, I went over to Rin. Nitori was out cold on the tiled floor, and his head was bleeding. I shrugged off my blazer and held it to the wound and Rin cried as he pumped his boyfriend’s heart.

‘Come on, Ai. You can’t die. Come on, baby. I’m sorry, I should have never let you do this. Come on, just breathe for me.’

Nitori coughed and I sat him up and rubbed his back as he spat out water.

‘Ai!’ Rin embraced him when he stopped coughing up water, still holding the blazer to Nitori’s head.

‘What… happened?’ Nitori whispered.

‘Sousuke strangled you, then he hit your head on the floor and threw you into the pool. But I saved you. I got you, baby.’

Nitori hummed and kissed Rin’s cheek. ‘Love you…’

Rin looked up at me. ‘You should go. Haru needs you.’

‘But what about the police? I think Rei and Nagisa already rang them. They’ll be here soon for Yamazaki.’

‘The four of us can handle it. Go to Haru.’

‘Thank you.’ I went back to the surveillance room to grab my school bag, then I ran to the train station. The train for Iwatobi was about to leave, so I leapt on, my knees unable to stop shaking as I sat down. It only took twenty minutes to get back to Iwatobi, but it felt like forever. As soon as the train stopped, I ran for my street and took the stone steps two at a time and burst in through the front door.

‘I’m home!’

Before I even had chance to step out of the genkan, Haru was on me. His legs wrapped themselves around my waist and pressed his lips to mine, sucking on my tongue immediately. I moaned into his mouth and pinned him against the wall, hands moving down to his waist. Haru pulled away and I saw that his eyes were full of tears.

'Haru...'

'Did it go okay?'

I nodded. 'I suppose. He hurt Nitori and nearly drowned him, but we got the recording and the police are probably already at Samezuka.'

Haru started to cry. 'Is Nitori okay?'

'Yeah. Rin saved him. Everything is going to be fine.' I wiped away his tears and kissed his forehead. 

Haru smiled and leant his head against my shoulder. 'I don't have to be scared anymore.'

I smiled and was about to say something else, but someone cleared their throat. I turned and saw Gou stood in the hallway and I went bright red. I let Haru down and Gou stepped forwards.

'I'll just be going.' She slipped on her shoes, then turned back to us. 'Remember to use protection.'

Haru blushed and glared at her. 'Then tell Captain Mikoshiba the same.'

Gou scowled and walked out of the front door, then Haru turned to me. 'Mackerel for dinner?'

I grinned in agreement and Haru went into the kitchen. I stayed in the hall and watched him as he cooked. He was so beautiful. And he was mine. He was the best thing that had ever happened to me and we were the only ones to always be there for one other. I wanted to be with him forever. 

With that in mind, I strode into the kitchen. 'Haru-chan?'

My boyfriend hummed but didn't look up; just carried on chopping vegetables. 

'If I buy you a promise ring, will you be with me forever?'

Haru stopped chopping and put the knife down before looking up at me. 'Are you serious?'

I nodded. 'Of course, Haru-chan. I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life.'

Haru smiled at me, tears filling his eyes for probably the twentieth time today, and he leapt into my arms. 'You don't need to buy me a promise ring. You don't even need to ask me. You know I'll stay by your side forever.'

I couldn’t stop smiling as I held him against my chest. 'Good, because I'm not letting you go anytime soon.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


	24. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Haru, free from bullying, get on with their lives, and they couldn't be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

‘Come on!’ I whispered as I dragged Haru around the corner of the corridor. It was our last day of high school and each of the third year classes were having a party. Exams were over, and Haru and I had got into the same university, where I would be learning how to coach, and Haru would be swimming. We’d even bought an apartment ready. Everything was great.

Haru looked around at the empty corridor. ‘Shouldn’t we be getting back now? We’ve been gone ages.’

I just smiled, shook my head, then pushed Haru against the wall and started to kiss him. He moaned in surprise and started to kiss me back, but pulled away soon after. ‘What if someone sees us?’

‘Who cares? Besides, I wanted to give you this.’ I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small box and opened it, leaving Haru speechless. Inside, resting on the velvet bed, was an incomplete silver ring. One end of the ring was shaped into a dolphin head, and it curled around in a circle and ended with the tail fins, a tiny gap between the tail and the head. The eyes of the dolphin were tiny sapphires, the exact same colour as Haru’s eyes, and they glimmered in the sunlight that came in through the windows.

‘Makoto…’

‘I know you said I didn’t need to get a promise ring, but I wanted to anyway. Just to show everyone that you’re taken. You have no idea how many people tried to undress you with their eyes the last time we were in Tokyo. You’re just so beautiful, Haru-chan.’ I took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto his finger, smiling at the perfect fit. ‘Do you like it?’ I asked as I put away the ring box.

Haru could only nod, then he threw his arms around me. I smiled and held him close. Forever with him was going to be amazing.

‘Mako-chan! Haru-chan!’

We both looked up and saw Nagisa and Gou running down the corridor towards us, with Rei following at a much slower pace. As soon as they got close enough, the three of them tackled us in a hug, the five us laughing.

‘We’re going to miss you so much!’ Nagisa whined.

‘We’ll miss you, too. But we’ll come back and visit. So you better be a good captain, Rei.’ I said.

‘Of course, Makoto-senpai!’

‘Hey, what’s that?’ Gou asked with narrowed eyes. She stepped towards Haru and lifted up his left hand and she squealed. Nagisa joined in when he saw the ring and Rei blushed.

‘Is that an engagement ring, Haruka-senpai?’

‘It’s a promise ring…’ he whispered.

‘Ah! Mako-chan and Haru-chan are getting married!’

‘Nagisa…’

The blond ran off, Rei and Gou following him, and I sighed. Haru took my hand. ‘It’s okay. We’ll get married someday, so it’s not exactly a lie.’

I grinned and kissed Haru on the tip of his nose. ‘After university. And when you become an Olympic champion.’

‘And when you become my coach.’

…

Four months later, Haru and I were in Tokyo. We were both doing great in our majors, as well as our supplementary classes, and I couldn’t be happier. The only downside was we didn’t share any classes like we did at each of our schools in Iwatobi, but that was made up for tenfold by living together.

Today was Friday, and on Fridays, my classes ran to five in the evening, whereas Haru had the day off. I would usually be home for half five, but I was running late. After I’d got off the train, I’d seen a hand-sized dolphin plushie in a shop window and had to go in and buy it for him. I loved to spoil my Haru-chan.

I walked home and took the lift up to our apartment in the large building we lived in. Our apartment was on the third floor and the last one on the corridor, and an elderly couple who owned a cat lived opposite us. The woman, Takahashi-san, was outside her front door, watering the plant she kept outside which got sunlight from the balcony at the end of the corridor. She smiled when she saw me.

‘Hello, Makoto-kun. You’re a bit late today.’

‘Ah, yes. I just stopped to get something for Haru.’

She smiled. ‘You two are so cute together. Will you tell Haru-kun thank you again for that birthday cake he made me last week? It was wonderful.’

‘Of course, I will. Good evening, Takahashi-san.’ I smiled and let myself into my apartment, locking the door behind me. ‘I’m home, Haru,’ I shouted as I slipped off my shoes and hung up my coat. I put my bag on the floor but kept hold of the carrier bag with the dolphin inside. ‘I got something for you!’

‘Did you, sir?’

I frowned and stepped out of the genkan. He didn’t usually call me sir out of the blue like that. What was he doing? I walked down the hall and into the living room, stopping in the doorway. Haru was sat on the kotatsu, school books spread out around him, but he was wearing white cotton thigh-high socks, a pleated black skirt, a white shirt that was unbuttoned halfway down, and his green tie from high school was knotted loosely around his neck.

‘Err… yeah… I got you something,’ I said, unable to take my eyes off Haru in a skirt. When had he bought that?

‘Well, I don’t think I really deserve it, sir. I failed my history test. Will you tutor me?’

‘O-of course.’ I loosened my own tie, finding it hard to breathe, and sat on the floor in front of the kotatsu, making sure to hide the present under it. I reached for Haru’s purple history book and my boyfriend shuffled along the surface of the kotatsu, making sure to brush one of his legs against my right arm.

‘Do you think I can pass history class, sir?’

I bit my lip and opened the history book, forcing myself to look away from Haru. ‘Yes. You can pass it.’

‘Thank you. I would hope so, since you’re the best teacher in the school.’ Haru leant down and hovered in front of me. His school shirt was tight against his skin and I could see his hardened nipples straining against the material. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but Haru had obviously gone to a lot of effort to set up this roleplay. We usually talked about them weeks in advance, and it had always been me initiating them, so this was a big step for Haru in terms of our sex life. I wasn’t going to end the scene before it barely begun.

I smiled at Haru. ‘Thank you. Now, let’s get on with revising before the other students come back from their lunch break.’

Haru shivered and he squeezed his legs together as he sat back up. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘What were you struggling with?’

‘It’s the part about the mythical history of England. King Arthur and Queen Guenièvre .’

I nodded and flicked through his history book. I knew absolutely nothing about them, so I skimmed what Haru had written down and I explained it back to him. ‘Do you understand the legend now?’

He nodded. ‘But I was wondering, sir, is it true that Guenièvre was a maid before she became queen? And that she worked in the castle Prince Arthur lived in?’

‘I believe so, Haru.’

My boyfriend hummed and he shut his history book. He moved it out of the way then slid down the kotatsu until he was right in front of me, his feet on the floor either side of my hips. ‘Isn’t that wrong, though?’

‘Well, it was frowned upon since she was a servant, but it wasn’t wrong. They loved each other.’

Haru nodded and he looked away from me, blushing. ‘I think I might have done something wrong, sir.’

‘What is it?’ I asked, leaning forwards. ‘You can tell me anything. I’m your teacher.’

‘And you promise not to tell anyone?’

‘I promise.’

Haru turned his head and looked at me then, and I saw that his pupils had blown wide with lust. ‘The truth is, sir, I’ve fallen in love with you. I thought it was just a little crush at first but I couldn’t stop thinking about you and now I realise…’ Haru shook his head. ‘I shouldn’t have told you that. I’m sorry, sir. I should go.’

Before he could get up, I laid a hand on Haru’s leg, just below where his thigh-high socks ended and his skirt began. ‘Don’t be sorry. I love you, too. How could I not? You always sit at the front of my class, wearing these short skirts and socks that make your legs look so long. I thought you were the school’s slut at first, but now I know that you’re my slut.’

Haru gasped, faking embarrassment, but I knew how turned on he was just from looking at him. Whilst he was generally fairly quiet during sex, other than moaning and whimpering, he loved dirty talk, and I’d become quite good at it.

I smirked and moved my hand up Haru’s leg, just so the tips of my fingers rested under the hem of his skirt. ‘Want to show me how much of a slut you are for me?’

Haru went redder and looked around. ‘What if a student or a teacher comes back, sir?’

‘Don’t worry. I locked the door. No one can get in.’

‘Were you planning this, sir?’ Haru asked as my hand moved up further.

‘Of course. I’ve wanted to fuck you since you first walked into my class.’

Haru whimpered and slid off the kotatsu and onto my lap. ‘Do you really mean that?’

Instead of replying verbally, I pressed our lips together. Haru whimpered but kissed me back, and my hands wandered down to the top of his socks. I pulled at the hem, then snapped back the elastic onto Haru’s thighs. Haru yelped and broke the kiss, glaring at me. ‘You shouldn’t abuse your students, sir.’

I smirked again and flipped up Haru’s skirt, going to pull down his underwear, but I was left staring when I saw his small cock was bare, no covering at all.

‘It seems you weren’t the only one planning this, sir. I even prepared my entrance for you.’

Just to make sure, I reached one hand under Haru’s ass, and sure enough, my fingers came away, sticky with lube. Haru reached down and undid my belt and trousers, pulling them down along with my boxers, just enough so that my cock was out. I hadn’t realised how hard this entire scenario had made me, but fuck, I would be thinking about Haru dressed and acting like this whenever I got the chance.

Haru reached into the pocket of his shirt and took out a condom. He tore open the packet and stared at my cock. ‘I hope it fits. I wasn’t sure what size to get.’

I smiled and took the condom off him, sliding it onto my member and hissed at the contact. ‘Lube?’

He shook his head. ‘Don’t worry, sir. You won’t need it. I’m so wet. And all for you.’

I growled and brought Haru even further forwards on my lap. ‘Are you going to ride me, you little slut?’

Haru said nothing. Instead, he lifted himself up, then impaled himself on my cock, making us both cry out. ‘Did that answer your question?’

I nodded and grabbed Haru’s hips, helping him to ride me as I thrusted up into him. ‘Fuck, you’re so tight, little one. So tight for me.’

Haru moaned and grabbed both of my shoulders, trying to ride me even faster.

‘Tell me you’re mine,’ I said, finding it a little hard to breathe with Haru on top of me like this. He took my breath away every time I saw him, without fail. ‘Tell me you’ve only ever been like this for me.’

‘Yours. Ah!’ Haru threw his head back in pleasure, but I grabbed his hair and brought his face to mine, stopping all movement of my hips.

‘Say it, Haru.’

‘I’m yours. Only ever been yours. Always been yours. Please, Makoto. Fuck me.’

Seeing him beg was the last straw. I pulled out, but before he could start whining, I lifted him to lie on the kotatsu, then I got on my knees and re-entered him, making sure to hit his prostate with every thrust I made. Ever since our first time, both Haru and I had made a point to know each other’s bodies like they were our own, and it had paid off. Our minds had been in tune our entire lives, but now our bodies were in sync, too, and now I knew exactly how to get Haru to scream for me.

Haru’s sock-clad legs wrapped themselves around my shoulders and his hips bucked up as he came, shouting my name as he dirtied the inside of his pretty skirt. I decided to take advantage of his over-sensitivity and grabbed his hips, thrusting into him as fast as I could until even more cum started to trickle out of the tip of Haru’s cock.

‘Ah, Makoto! I can’t come again! It’ll hurt!’

‘It’s okay, pretty one. You can do this. Daddy’s got you.’

The word “daddy” ripped a scream from Haru’s throat and he came again. His rim squeezed my cock so good that I couldn’t help but come, moaning as I came inside the condom. I pulled out and took off the condom, making sure to tie it up before anything could leak out. I looked over at Haru, who was led out on the kotatsu, legs gone limp and his whole body shaking. I gathered him up into my arms and held him close, kissing all over his face. ‘It’s okay. I got you. I’ve got you, Haru-chan.’ I picked him up and left the room with him, kicking off my pants as I made my way to the bathroom.

I placed him on the toilet seat and turned on the taps, making sure that the water was nice and warm so that it would soothe my boyfriend. Once it was ready, I turned back to Haru and took his clothes off his shaking body, then put him in the bath. He sighed and I put his clothes in the wash basket along with my own, then I sat down on the floor, chin resting on the edge of the bath, one hand stroking Haru’s hair.

‘You okay?’ I asked him after a moment of silence.

He nodded and turned to me. ‘Didn’t think I could come twice in such a short amount of time.’

I smiled and kissed his cheek. ‘You were so beautiful.’

‘Did you like the scene I planned for you then?’

‘Definitely. Couldn’t you tell?’

Haru smiled and slipped a little further into the water. ‘Daddy’s a new one.’

‘Sorry,’ I said, unable to stop the blush lighting up my face. ‘It just came out.’

Haru reached for one of my hands, but missed and held onto my little finger instead. ‘I liked it.’

I laughed and joined our hands together properly. ‘Okay, little one. You can call me daddy.’

My boyfriend smiled. ‘Wash my hair, please, daddy? And then can I have my present?’

I smiled and grabbed Haru’s coconut scented shampoo. ‘Anything for you.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *me crying because I get upset whenever I finish a story and because all of my readers have been awesomesauce*
> 
> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


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